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COPVRIGIIT DEPOSrP. 




THE GREAT BLUDMA, KAMAKURA, JAPAN. 



ETCHINGS OF 
THE EAST 



BY 

JOHN M. MOORE, D.D., Ph.D. (Yale) 



Nashville, Tenn. ; Dallas, Tex. 

Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South 

Smith & Lamar, Agents 

1909 



•H6 



Copyright, 1909, 

BY 

Smith & Lamar. 



CI. A ^; ■-■- ^- • ' 2 ^ 

AUi 19 1909 



A WORD IN STARTING. 

As a member of the editorial staff of the Christian 
Advocate (Nashville) the author of this volume, ac- 
companied by his wife, made a journey around the 
world in 1908. The chief object of the journey was 
to visit the mission fields in Japan, Korea, China, and 
India for the purpose of making some study of the 
people, the methods of missionary work, and the re- 
sults of missionary labor. Official permission was 
granted for this long absence from the editorial office 
with the understanding that each week a letter relat- 
ing to what was seen should appear in the Christian 
Advocate. The letters were written in hotels, mis- 
sionaries' homes, and, for the most part, on ocean 
steamers. Seldom was a letter finished within many 
miles of the place where it was begun. Careful, pains- 
taking work was impossible. The letters appeared in 
the Christian Advocate just as they came first from the 
pen. When the last letter of the series was published, 
the statement was made that the articles would not be 
issued in book form. The requests for the publica- 
tion became so numerous that finally the writer con- 
sented to send forth to the reading public the letters 
just as they appeared in the Christian Advocate. 
They are published with the earnest hope that some 
new interest in the non-Christian peoples may be 
awakened and that some new missionary effort will be 
put forth as a result of the reading of these letters. 

This great journey would not have been possible 

(iii) 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
The Great Buddha, Kamakura, Japan Frontispiece 

Opposite. 

Japanese Girl in Street Costume 17 

Playing the Koto 22 

Young Women in a Social Game 22 

In the Temple Grounds, Nikko 30 

East Honganji Temple, Kioto 40 

Japanese Schoolgirl in Tennis CostiJme 49 " 

Japanese Cooking School 57^ 

Stroll by the Lake 68 

The Bund, Nagasaki 71 

The Jinrikishas and Sikh Policeman, Shanghai 75'' 

A Chinaman Setting Type 84 "^ 

Type Foundry, Publishing House 84 ^" 

The Tea Restaurant 93 

Bound Feet 93 

Sampans in a Canal 106 "■' 

Monument to a Widow 130 '^ 

Small Temple with Typical Roof 130 ' 

Malay House in Singapore 158 

Street Scene in Singapore 158 

Before the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon 164 

Elephants Piling Timber at Rangoon 168 

Hindu Temples — Bathing in Ganges at Benares 190 

Taj Mahal, Agra 211 

(vii) 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Opposite, 

Mohammedans at Worship (Women Behind Cur- 
tain), Delhi 219 

The Personal Servant 231 

Morning Tooth-Washing 231 

The Sweeper 231 

Climbing the Great Pyramid 253 

Plowing in Palestine 262 

Mount of Olives 278 

The Holy Sepulcher 284 

Three Jews in Jerusalem 290 

Going to Market in Palestine 301 

Herod's Temple Colonnade, Samaria 316 

Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration — 316 

Mary's Well, Nazareth 320 

The Shepherd and His Flock 325 

The Bedouins in Their Tent 333 

(viii) 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

CHAPTER I. 

Over Land and Sea. 

FROM Nashville to San Francisco, a distance by the 
railroad of two thousand seven hundred and fif- 
teen miles, in four days and four nights, lacking two 
hours and losing five hours in making two train con- 
nections, is the record for this Editor in January, 
1908. They did not do it so when the "forty-niners" 
rushed to the western coast when the gold fever 
burned in many veins. A half century has brought 
wonders to the world through these United States, 
and what another fifty years will produce in this 
country no man is now able to prophesy. Such mar- 
velous inventions have been given to the world that 
now the question is, not "Will we ever fly?" but, 
"When will we fly?" We have done almost every- 
thing else imaginable; and flying is not half so won- 
derful as seeing through wooden walls by means of 
the Rontgen Ray, or sending messages to the wide 
world without even a wire to carry them. This is 
the day of scientific and mechanical wonders, and 
this great country of ours is the place where many 
of them are brought to perfection. 

The States of Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and 
Kansas are more or less known to me ; but Colorado, 
New Mexico, Arizona, and California were entirely 

1 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

new and furnished sights which entertained me very 
much. I read of the deserts of i^frica when I was a lad, 
and I have seen something of a desolate land in some 
parts of Mexico; but the desert of Arizona was even 
more desolate than I had thought was possible in any 
part of this country. A full day's travel in that 
dreary waste made me ask myself: "Will man ever 
make this place blossom like the rose?" In many 
places once considered desolate man has given soil 
and moisture and received fruits in return^ but will 
he ever redeem the American desert? The swamps 
have been taken from many sections ; the overflowing 
and destructive streams have been confined to their 
channels ; the hills, with their steep inclines, have 
been covered with vineyards, gardens, and luxuriant 
fields ; the arid lands have been irrigated ; and we 
may well expect that the day will come when this 
earth of man's shall become in every spot a feeder of 
its masterful inhabitant. This planet, with man as 
its master, will, when man comes fully to himself, have 
no waste spots or waste forces. The true man is a 
producer; and when he puts himself into the world, 
the harvests are certain. 

The gold mines of California are not all in the 
mountains, although only there the yellow metal may 
be found. Gold-mining is the work of adventurers 
and speculators. Neither the men who go into the 
mines nor those who handle the certificates for the 
ore can make a State that has the right to be called 
a commonwealth. California's highest treasures are 
in her plains, her golden sunshine, and her health- 
giving atmosphere. All the southern half of this 
wonderful land is one vast garden, hemmed in by 

2 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the mountains and the sea. Fruits and flowers, fill- 
ing the vast plains of this richly endowed State, have 
made the world almost forget that California ever 
produced gold. I shall never forget the day's travel 
in the Joaquin Valley. The fields, with their first 
signs of the coming spring, the industrious landmen, 
with their great plows and harrows drawn by four, 
six, and eight horses, the distant Sierra Nevadas, 
with their snow-covered peaks, filled the day with 
continual delight. The approach to the great city of 
the Coast increased the interest of this great moving 
picture. 

San Francisco will some day be a great city. Its 
population with that of its three neighbors, Oakland, 
Berkeley, and Alameda, now reaches 500,000 to 700,- 
000 people. But this is really a heterogeneous mass. 
The spirit of the community is not healthful to the 
highest interests of society. The enterprise is very 
largely financial, and the thought of getting rich quick 
occupies the mind of a majority of those who come 
here. The growth is too much after the manner of 
the eucalyptus. But the importance of the port, the 
beauty of the surrounding country, the richness of 
the fruits will make San Francisco a center for in- 
creasing multitudes. The Church is the most neg- 
lected institution in California of all those that make 
a great people. Greed and godliness are not compan- 
ionable, and greed came first and has never retired. 
Many of the leading citizens left their religion east 
of the Rockies, or else they have grown up here from 
the stock of the early days, when religion was vir- 
tually unknown. But the people have no ear for bar- 
ren creeds or doctrines of any sect or sects. They 

3 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

are open to the appeals of Christ's Christianity, but 
they will not try to pronounce the shibboleths of any 
denominationalism. Sectarianism or sectionalism has 
no attraction for a people of cosmopolitan sentiment. 
Only the pure gospel, presented in an intelligent way 
and in harmony with the day of information and en- 
lightenment, can reach such a people as this. The 
Church of the great West will be free of all sentiments 
that make and maintain sects. 

Dr. C. F. Reid has been doing something worth 
while in the five years that he has been out here. 
He has inaugurated and now maintains two missions 
for the Japanese and two for the Koreans. I visited 
the Japanese missions — one in Oakland and one in 
Alameda. The one in Oakland is cared for in a hired 
house. It has a reading room, where many young 
Japanese men come. It has a Students' Club, com- 
posed of the young men in the high school and col- 
lege. Chapel exercises are held during the week. 
The one in Alameda has a pastor, a kindergarten 
with thirty children, and a night school with twenty- 
four pupils. The Church has about twenty members. 
An elegant home was recently bought for $8,500. 
The house needs about $1,000 expended in improve- 
ments to give it full equipment for the needs of the 
mission. There are about eight hundred Japanese in 
the vicinity of this mission ; and with the kindergar- 
ten and the night school, there will be furnished an 
easy access to this needy people. Dr. Reid has a Ko- 
rean mission in San Francisco, and one in Sacra- 
mento with about fifty members. His work as our 
first missionary to Korea gave him a great love for 
these immigrants from the little kingdom. 

4 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

California offers the Church a fine opportunity for 
finding an open door into China and Japan. There 
are now 10,000 Japanese in California, and the num- 
ber is increasing. The number of the Chinese is 
now decreasing. The work now done for these peo- 
ple at our doors is being supported by the Woman's 
Home Mission Society. The Church will be wise 
in any efforts that it may make for the Christiani- 
zation of the Japanese, Chinese^ and Koreans who 
now abide in our country. 

Balboa made a great discovery when he brought to 
the world's notice the Pacific Ocean. However, he 
gave the great sea its name from a mountain peak 
before he had tried its waters, else the pleasing name 
might never have been employed. The Pacific has its 
ups and downs, with which those who sail even in its 
largest ships are compelled to sympathize, and which 
they occasionally imitate. Of such experiences one is 
apt to grow sick. Those who passed through the 
Golden Gate on Thursday, January 30, 1908, for des- 
tinations beyond the sea were soon wondering if the 
passageway was only a golden gate to those who en- 
tered from the sea, and not for those who sought the 
highway of the deep. Anyway, many passengers were 
in their cabins without a desire for food when the 
gong sounded for the evening meal. The uncertainty 
in certain localities continued for two days before the 
fair weather brought quiet to the sea and the suffer- 
ers. The Psalmist seemed to have known of the life 
on the ocean when he wrote : "They that go down to 
the sea in ships, that do business in great waters : 
these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in 
the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy 

5 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount 
up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths : 
their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to 
and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at 
their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their 
trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves there- 
of are still." 

The steamships take different courses across the Pa- 
cific Ocean from the United States to Japan. The 
distance from San Francisco to Yokohama by one 
route is 4,525 miles. Our steamer (the Mongolia, of 
the Pacific Mail Line) took a southern route, sailing 
by the Sandwich Islands. The distance from San 
Francisco to Honolulu is 2,089 miles, and from Hon- 
olulu to Yokohama, 3,950 miles; the total distance 
per this route is 6,039 miles. The latitude of San 
Francisco is practically thirty-eight degrees; that of 
Yokohama is about thirty-five; while that of Hono- 
lulu is about twenty-one, which gives it a place below 
the Tropic of Cancer. The two days previous to our 
reaching the Hawaiian Islands we were able to sit 
on the deck of the steamer without wraps and often 
in light clothing. This was much more pleasant than 
the severe gales in the more northern latitudes. The 
real delight of a sea voyage is in the sea breeze ; but 
when it is cold and the passengers are closed in their 
cabins, the ship becomes a prison and the voyagers 
are afflicted rather than benefited. The motion of the 
ship on a quiet sea is not unpleasant, but the rolling 
and the plunging have no fascination except for the 
daring and undisturbed sailor. 

The steamer Mongolia is a large, smooth-sailing 
6 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

but slow ship. The speed from San Francisco to 
Honolulu was fifteen knots an hour, or eight or nine 
knots less than that of the fast vessels on the Atlantic 
Ocean. The ship has a tonnage of 13,600, although 
the company advertises it at 27,000 tons. It has a dis- 
placement of 27,000 tons. It is to be hoped that our 
American steamship companies can maintain a fine 
service on the Pacific Ocean, as travel to the Orient 
will be greatly increased in the next ten years. The 
Mongolia might increase its attractiveness by sustain- 
ing a small orchestra for the entertainment of its pas- 
sengers, as do the Atlantic steamers, or by offering 
such diversions as would break the monotony of a 
long day. 

Many of the passengers felt very keenly the dis- 
grace of the gambling which was conducted by mem- 
bers of the ship's crew. There is always card-playing 
in the smoking room of an ocean steamer, and betting 
on everything on which men can bet; but when it 
comes to running a roulette wheel every day and 
"chuck-a-luck" stands by the dozen continually, many 
passengers feel that such things should not be al- 
lowed. It is true that those who own these wheels 
and dice games are Chinese, but they are in the em- 
ploy of an American ship company. Many well- 
dressed men and women patronized these games, and 
mostly to their sorrow. The sailors spent every odd 
moment and odd coin at these tables of chance. The 
company defends its course by saying that the Chi- 
nese laborers must have their gambling diversions, or 
else they will not serve, and it wants the Chinese labor- 
ers because of their capabilities and their satisfaction 
with moderate wages. Be that as it may, a steamship 

7 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

company that not only tolerates but even encourages 
such procedure will some day suffer. 

Twenty-two hours in Honolulu were not sufficient 
to see all the interesting sights of that beautiful little 
city. Our steamer arrived at noon on Wednesday, 
and left at ten o'clock Thursday morning. The rest 
from the sea voyage was very acceptable. It was 
good to have a dinner on land at the elegant Young 
Hotel. After a few minutes' walk from the hotel, 
we found ourselves at the gate of the old lolani Pal- 
ace, now the executive and legislative building of the 
Territory. I was glad that I could visit the throne 
room, now the hall for the territorial Legislature. 
Its regal splendor has departed, but the new order 
of government has in no way decreased the impor- 
tance of the large chamber. On the walls are hung 
the portraits of the kings and queens of the islands 
for the last hundred years, with the portraits of Na- 
poleon III. and King Philip, the friends of the reign- 
ing family in their times. The Senate chamber is a 
small room of the old palace, as is the Governor's 
office. On the opposite side of the street is the large 
modern building for the territorial courts. The for- 
mer Queen Liliuokalani lives in an elegant home near 
the palace at the expense of the government. 

Politics on the islands cannot be different from pol- 
itics on the mainland. The small spoils of office are 
earnestly sought in all countries. The natives usually 
vote with the party that has given them the most 
booty. Here in Hawaii they want work, and the poli- 
ticians try to hold themselves in power by supplying 
their desires. At present the natives are mostly Re- 
publicans. They hold the balance of power, for there 

8 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

are less than ten thousand white people on the islands. 
The natives have about thirty thousand. The number 
of natives is decreasing at a good rate. The Japanese, 
with their 70,000 people, furnish half the population. 
The Chinese number about twenty to twenty-five thou- 
sand, and the Koreans about five thousand. But the 
white man is in control, as he always is wherever he 
consents to live. He usually settles all race problems 
according to his own whims. The large valleys, with 
their 700,000 tillable acres, are owned for the most 
part by the white men, as are the large industries, 
whether agricultural, manufactural, or commercial. 

Captain Cook was the first Anglo-Saxon to see this 
chain of islands. He saw them first January 10, 1778, 
and called them Sandwich Islands in honor of his 
patron, the Earl of Sandwich. He met his death on a 
second visit at the hands of the natives whom it was 
claimed that he betrayed. About 1790 a chief of the 
island of Hawaii, named Kamehameha, conceived the 
idea of making an island empire. He beat in battle 
the kings of Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. In routing 
the forces of Oahu he drove them over the great cliff 
of Nunano Pali. This great precipice is visited by all 
tourists, and is considered the view-point for as fine 
scenery as can be found in the world. Kamehameha 
the Great established the ruling line, which held power 
until 1874, when Lunalilo was elected to the throne. 
At his death, in 1891, he was succeeded by his sister, 
Liliuokalani, who was dethroned by the revolution of 
1893. A repubhc was established July 4, 1894; and 
the islands were annexed July 7, 1898, as a Territory 
to the United States. A fine bronze statue of Kame- 
hameha I. stands in front of the judiciary building. 

9 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

There are eight inhabited islands in the group, the 
largest being Hawaii, from which the group takes its 
name, with an area of 4,015 square miles. The sec- 
ond is Maui, with 728 square miles ; and then comes 
Oahu, on which Honolulu is situated, with 598; 
Kauai, with 547; Molokai, on which is the leper col- 
ony, with about 1,600 lepers, with 261 square miles; 
Lanai, with 138; Niihau, with 97; Kahoolawe, with 
69 square miles. The total area is 6,449 square miles. 
The islands are mountainous, and on several are large 
volcanoes which are for the most part now extinct. 
The valleys are very fertile, and produce the various 
tropical fruits and harvests. The banana and cocoa- 
nut are seen in profusion in Honolulu. The pine- 
apple grows to a very large size. The orange grows, 
but not so well as in California. Raw sugar is the 
principal product, its export value for the last year 
having been $26,860,000. About $100,000,000 is in- 
vested in the sugar interests, which employed last year 
45,000 men. The exports for fruits last year amount- 
ed to $400,000; for rice, $147,000; and for coffee, 
$145,000. 

A good school system is in operation, which pre- 
pares pupils for our American colleges. There is a 
good Territorial Normal School, which trains teach- 
ers. Oahu College was founded sixty years ago by 
missionaries. There are about two hundred Churches 
in the islands. The Congregationalists are the lead- 
ing denomination. Rev. Hiram Bingham, a mission- 
ary of the Congregational Church, who died in New 
Haven, Conn., November 11, 1869, at eighty years, 
preached the first sermon in Honolulu April 25, 1820. 
The first church was brought from New England by 

10 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



ship around Cape Horn and set up. The Httle wood- 
en building still stands near the Kawaiahao Church, 
which was built for the natives and dedicated July 
12, 1842. This church was built of coral, which was 
brought by hand out of the sea; and in it the royal 
family, as well as the great body of the natives, have 
worshiped for these sixty years. The worship is con- 
ducted in the Hawaiian language, although the pas- 
tor is an American. Churches for the natives, the 
Portuguese, the Japanese, the Chinese, and the Ko- 
reans are supported by the Congregational Church. 
On Wednesday night while in Honolulu I had the 
pleasure of attending services in the fine Central Un- 
ion Church, which was built a few years ago at a 
cost of $130,000. It and the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, the small Episcopal Church, the small Chris- 
tian Church make the list of the churches for the 
white people in the islands. The speaker of the even- 
ing was Bishop David H. Moore, of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, who had just closed the annual 
session of the Hawaiian Mission. His Church has 
forty-five stations in the islands among the natives, 
the Japanese, the Koreans, and the Filipinos. The 
missions among the Chinese are conducted by the Con- 
gregationalists. The Bishop gave an excellent ad- 
dress on the Orient. I was greatly interested in the 
mission of his Church for the Koreans, and visited 
the large mission here in Honolulu. 

A car ride or a stroll through the city will reveal a 
world of floral beauty. Every yard is a flower gar- 
den, and every home a conservatory. The richest col- 
ors and the choicest clusters are found on every side. 
The banyan tree, the cocoanut tree, the banana plant 

11 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

full of bananas, the immense palms, the mangoes — all 
interested me very much. A visit to the aquarium 
gave me an opportunity to see the finest collection of 
variously colored and formed fish in the world. A big 
shark twelve feet long, a turtle three feet across, a 
case filled with octopi — all attracted the attention of 
the visitors. I felt glad that they and I did not move 
in the same social circle. 

Honolulu is a delightful place in which to spend a 
few weeks or months. The cloud-topped mountains 
are always in view. The temperature is never uncer- 
tain or unpleasant. The waters offer perennial bath- 
ing. The hotels and even market places are always 
in holiday attire. The flower sellers are always sitting 
in the streets. The Chinese quarters always have a 
bad odor. The coachmen and the automobilists are 
always ready to make the tourist suffer. Great is Hon- 
olulu. It was pleasant to see and delightful to remem- 
ber. The circumstances imder which we spent the 
twenty-two hours made us thankful for the kind prov- 
idence that brought us into its waters. 

12 



CHAPTER II. 
The First Touch of Japan. 

THE long voyage of eighteen days from San Fran- 
cisco to Yokohama did not grow monotonous, 
although there was nothing to look out upon except 
the boundless wateres. To be sure, the stop of twen- 
ty-two hours at Honolulu and the sight of the Ha- 
waiian Islands for other ten hours brought some re- 
lief to those who were weary of the watery wastes. 
Only one vessel of any description was sighted during 
the entire voyage, and that was near San Francisco. 
How different is travel on the Atlantic Ocean, where 
vessels are passed every day and often several times a 
day! The Pacific Ocean has not yet become a high- 
way of traffic, and will not soon become so important 
in the world's commerce as her sister sea. While the 
absence of vessels may lessen the interest of a voyage, 
yet it insures greater safety, as the majority of dis- 
asters at sea are due to collisions in times of fog or 
storm. We had no fogs and few clouds. The journey 
for the most part was made under clear skies, with 
full sunshine by day and bright starlight or mellow 
moonlight by night. The fullness of the day was 
hardly more gorgeous than the glory of the night. 
But that does not mean that the sea was always quiet. 
A disturbance in the sea does not pass with the local 
storm. The great swells that try the very ribs of the 
iron vessels may have had their origin thousands of 
miles away. The currents of the ocean may have dis- 

13 



ET'CHINGS OF THE EAST 

turbances that they do not transmit to each other. 
The navigator has his difficulties and must be ever 
upon the alert. If the men who run the railroad trains 
in the United States were half as careful as the officers 
of a ship, the accidents in which so many thousand 
lives are lost would be greatly decreased. Eternal 
vigilance is required of those who sail the seas, and 
as a result the percentage of lives lost is almost noth- 
ing as compared with that of the railroads. We had 
storms as well as quietness, but journeying mercies 
were ever manifest. 

We went to sleep one Sunday night, and when we 
awoke it was Tuesday morning. A passenger had ex- 
pected to celebrate his birthday anniversary on that 
Monday; but there was no February lo, and his ex- 
perience was unique. So February, after all, will have 
only twenty-eight days for us this leap year. But we 
felt that we had gained something, as previous to that 
Sunday we were doing everything after the rest of 
the world, whereas by dropping out that day we got 
in front and now eat, sleep, and employ our time be- 
fore those at home. The passengers who cross the 
Pacific Ocean from Japan to the United States have 
two days with the same name. Our watches had to 
be turned back about thirty minutes each day, and in 
crossing in the opposite way they would be turned up 
that much. 

Religious services were conducted every Sunday 
morning at 10:30 o'clock by some minister among the 
passengers. A goodly number of the passengers at- 
tended the services, while others continued their card- 
playing and games just as they did on other days. The 
captain did not attend a single service, and neither 

14 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

did any officer or member of the entire crew. Serv- 
ices on this Hne of steamers must be provided by the 
passengers. Yet the officers and other members of 
the crew were able to attend the entertainments which 
the passengers furnished on different afternoons and 
evenings. It is true that the captain, according to 
report, read the burial service while the passengers 
were asleep one midnight when a Japanese who had 
died that day in the steerage of consumption was 
buried at sea. 

"To-morrow morning we shall see land," and every 
heart beat with joy. The sea had been boisterous, and 
before the morrow came we had the heaviest storm of 
the entire voyage. But the morning dawned in a 
calm, and all eyes were gladdened with the sight of 
Japan. We had seen a few sea gulls, some flying fish, 
and two sharks, but the land on the eastern side of 
the world was what we had made the long voyage to 
see. At noon we dropped anchor at the quarantine 
boat in the Yokohama harbor. We had passed the 
navy yard on our left, and had passed between the 
two forts which had been built at the mouth of the 
harbor. These forts mean strong defense against any 
foreign foe. Soon the physicians were on board. The 
officers and crew were lined up and faithfully inspect- 
ed. The cabin passengers were called to lunch; and 
as the harbor was quiet, and everybody for one time 
was able to be at the table, there was no trouble about 
inspection. People that could eat heartily the meats 
and vegetables that had been out eighteen days from 
San Francisco surely were in good condition. Before 
I had finished my lunch letters from Dr. H. M. Hamill, 
our Superintendent of Sunday School Teacher-Train- 

15 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ing, who has been, with his wife, holding institutes 
for four months in Japan, from Rev. S. E. Hager, the 
presiding elder of the Kobe District, Rev. Thomas H. 
Haden and Rev. W. K. Matthews, of the Kwansei 
Gakuin, and Rev. C. B. Moseley, of Yamaguchi, were 
handed me ; and the gracious, cheery words of wel- 
come to Japan put a new warmth into my heart. 
With such letters on arrival, it did not seem so dread- 
ful to put foot on a foreign soil. Before I had fin- 
ished my letters our good ship had passed inside the 
breakwater, and was fast coming to its place of per- 
manent anchorage. The harbor was literally covered 
with "sampans," the little boats which the coolies bring 
out to land baggage. Before the passengers could go 
down to the little steam launches to be taken ashore, 
a body of fifty or more merchants came on board the 
ship. Many of them, were tailors for men and women. 
They would take measurements and make a suit of 
clothes at very reasonable rates, and deliver the suit 
in twenty-four hours, or before the vessel left the har- 
bor for other ports. The Yokohama merchant tailors 
are largely patronized by travelers in the East. The 
fact is, the Yokohama stores are widely known as 
carrying the best goods in all lines that can be found 
in the East. The ladies are always glad of an oppor- 
tunity to go shopping in Yokohama. 

We had no such trouble in the customhouse as trav- 
elers usually have in entering the United States. No 
self-respecting person is proud of our tariff laws and 
the manner in which duties are collected at our ports 
of entry. As we had decided to go at once to Tokyo, 
which is only eighteen miles away, our first experience 
came in transferring baggage and our own precious 

16 




JAPANESE GIRL IN STREET COSTUME. 



ETC HINGS OF THE EAST 

bodies. There is no transfer company in Yokohama, 
but a vast company of men who will transfer any- 
thing on a cart or on their backs. So the trunks and 
bags were piled on a cart, and a coolie paced off. 
The coolie's reputation for reliability is so great that 
we had no concern. We took our first ride in a jin- 
rikisha. That was a novel experience, riding in a two- 
wheeled baby buggy drawn by a pacing Japanese. My 
feelings of self-importance were somewhat tempered 
by the reflection that if the coolie could lift his shafts 
over his head or drop them at his feet I would be in 
the dust. But the coolie is reliable, and he can make 
good speed. There were no horses and drays in the 
streets — only people. Other jinrikishas passed and 
carts of various kinds, all drawn by men. The tele- 
phone company's cart passed with instruments, lad- 
ders, and wires. One man passed with a telephone 
pole as large as any used in American cities on a two- 
wheeled cart. He was drawing it by a rope which 
was thrown over his shoulder. Another man, who 
had drawn a telephone pole, was being assisted by 
three other men over the incline at a bridge. The 
strength of these little men is truly remarkable. The 
jinrikisha men will take a man a distance of fifty miles 
across the country in a day. They never walk and 
seldom run, but they trot at a gait which they can 
keep up for ten hours in the day. Although Tokyo 
is crossed in every direction by the electric street cars, 
there are in the city thirty thousand jinrikisha men, 
which is ten thousand less than before the street cars 
came. The Japanese have not learned to use the horse. 
In Tokyo there are a few carriage horses, but almost 
no draught horses. The draught horses that I saw 
3 17 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

were not valuable. Only one horse is hitched to a dray, 
and instead of being driven he is led. It is very 
doubtful if the horse will ever be used extensively in 
this country, as the introduction of steam motors will 
obviate the necessity for using horses. 

Railroad travel is somewhat cheaper here than in 
the United States. There are three classes in the 
tickets and coaches. The majority of the people travel 
in the second class at a rate of a cent and a half a 
mile. The accommodations are practically as good as 
those of the first class. The third class is used largely 
by the poorer people. The coaches are entered on 
the side, as in England, but the apartments are larger. 
The baggage is checked as in the United States, but 
the amount that is carried free is less. The trains are 
comfortable, but the luxury of the American sleeper 
is unknown. Greater precaution is taken in running 
trains than in the United States. The tickets are 
punched by the gateman on entering the train and 
taken up by the gateman at the station where the pas- 
senger leaves the train. On the street cars a receipt 
is given when the fare is paid and taken up when the 
passenger leaves the car. This system in handling 
traffic is European rather than American. 

On landing at Yokohama we went at once to Tokyo, 
not because Yokohama, the chief seaport city of the 
empire, with its population of 326,000 people, was un- 
worthy of consideration; but because Yokohama is 
cosmopolitan, while Tokyo is distinctly Japanese. The 
Yokohama hotels, banks, business houses showed 
clearly the marks of the foreigner who had settled 
there to make money. Many of the large buildings 
were modern and Western in their architecture. On 

18 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the principal streets the signs on stores and offices 
were printed in EngHsh. Some quarters of the city 
are built up with residences of foreign style. But 
Tokyo is thoroughly Japanese, and whatever changes 
it may show are due, not to the incoming of foreign- 
ers, but to the new ideas of the native people. It is a 
most interesting city. Its two million people will fur- 
nish entertainment and instruction for a company of 
tourists for a much greater time than was at my dis- 
posal. 

Nothing makes a traveler feel more helpless in a 
strange land than his utter inability to make himself 
understood or to understand anything that is said to 
him. However, it was a matter of surprise to me to 
find at every railroad station some official who could 
speak and understand sufficient English to answer any 
question regarding trains and baggage to assist any 
nervous traveler. I did not ride on a street car in 
Tokyo on which I did not find some passenger who 
understood some English. The universal kindness of 
the people in assisting the bridle-tongued, white-faced 
American was a matter of common comment in our 
party. The officials on the street cars and on the trains 
were always ready to aid the passengers in making 
changes and in finding their destinations. The Amer- 
ican car men and trainmen might become much more 
serviceable did they manifest the same spirit as the lit- 
tle men in this land. But the American is satisfied 
with his own method of doing things, and even with 
his own restricted, sloven speech ; while every Jap- 
anese lad wants to learn the English language to 
please those who seek assistance. The boards of edu- 
cation have put English into the course of study of 

19 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

all their schools, and it is surprising how many Jap- 
anese speak English and speak it quite well. 

I spent only one night in a hotel in Tokyo, and that 
in a hostelry for foreign customers. The Japanese 
hotel, with its peculiar food peculiarly prepared and 
the floor for a bedstead, a roll of blankets for a bed, 
with no fire by which to be warmed and only a thin 
wall to separate him from the outside world, would 
not delight an American on a cold night with its pen- 
etrating atmosphere. A condition of temperature is 
imaginable when such an inn might be sought for the 
experience, but February is not a good time to ex- 
periment with native beds and else in Japan, While 
the night in the Tokyo hotel was not unpleasant, yet 
the invitation which came the next morning from that 
fine-souled, big-hearted manager of the Methodist 
Publishing House, the Rev. David S. Spencer, to be- 
come guests in his home was not to be declined at 
such a time and in such a place. Twenty-five years 
ago he came to Japan as a missionary of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, and his fund of information 
was adequate to any demands. What a joy to the 
two weary pilgrims the stay in his home was ! In 
many places tourists are compelled to seek the homes 
of missionaries to find the accommodations for food 
and sleep which their lifelong training demands. The 
accommodations of any Oriental country will not sat- 
isfy Occidental people. 

The visit of our party (consisting of Rev. Cort- 
land Myers, D.D., the pastor of the Baptist Temple in 
Brooklyn, his wife and son, and my wife, Mr. Stewart, 
and myself) to some of the thickly settled quarters of 
the city under the direction of Rev. Charles Bishop, 

20 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the Cashier of the Methodist Publishing House, gave 
us the first introduction to Japanese Hfe. At first it 
seemed strange that none of the houses had been paint- 
ed. The Japanese wants to see the natural wood in 
his house. When the weather destroys the house, a 
new one is substituted; and that is not a difficult mat- 
ter, as the residences and most of the stores are built 
of wood. The walls have the thickness of one plank, 
and the doors are often no more than screens covered 
with tissue paper. The doors are not hung on hinges, 
but slide in grooves. In front of the front door is 
usually a double gate which moves in a groove, I did 
not enter any homes, as I had no invitations, but I 
saw into several where the doors and even the front 
wall were pushed back so as to let in fresh air and 
sunshine. There are no chairs, as the people always 
sit on the floor. There are no beds, as they sleep on 
the floor. There is no dining table, as the Japanese 
do not gather about a common board, but each has his 
individual platter, which stands on legs about five or 
six inches high. But each floor is covered with beau- 
tiful, clean matting. The partition walls are screens, 
and they can be moved so as to make one large room 
or several small ones. The whole system of Japanese 
homes renders house-cleaning and housekeeping a 
matter of little drudgery. The Japanese home might 
at first seem severely barren, but after a time it be- 
comes beautiful in its simplicity. 

The stores interested me fully as much as the resi- 
dences. I went to the largest department store in 
Japan, on the leading street in Tokyo. At the door I 
was shown a large doormat. I used it vigorously. 
Then a porter picked up my feet and drew on over 

21 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

my shoes cloth shppers. I stepped up on a floor 
raised about twelve inches, and proceeded to the coun- 
ters to do business. The same kind of beautiful, sim- 
ple, clean matting covered the floor of the store as 
that which was in the residence. The salesmen and 
salesladies were uniformly polite. I bought nothing, 
but I took a lesson in keeping clean the public build- 
ings of a city. The little store had no cloth slippers, 
as the keeper expected the customer to remove his 
shoes if he entered. There is no door to the little 
store. The floor is raised about eighteen inches, and is 
covered with clean matting. The merchant sits on the 
floor, or, more properly, on his feet, and keeps his 
hands warm by the little charcoal fire in the brazier, 
a little vessel about eight to ten inches high and ten to 
twelve inches in diameter. He has no fireplace or 
stove in his residence or store. The customer comes 
into the store, slips off his sandals or wooden shoes, 
kneels, and sits down on his feet. The merchant rises 
to get the goods wanted, and the two sit on the floor 
until the sale is made or the customer leaves. When 
night comes, the merchant slides in the screen which 
makes the front wall of his house, and then lies down 
to pleasant dreams. In this may be seen something 
of the simple life. Who will change it or substitute for 
it the inconveniences which come with the manner of 
living which the American has adopted? 

The parks which we visited would do credit to any 
city in the world. In one we found a zoological gar- 
den which contained more wild animals than can be 
found in most cities in our country. In this same park 
was a large museum in which were very fine collections 
of all kinds of ores, minerals, stuffed birds and ani- 

22 




PLAYING THE KOTO. 




YOUNG WOMEN IN A SOCIAL GAME. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

mals. The curios and relics were as interesting and 
instructive as any which can be found in most mu- 
seums. The interesting thing to this sight-seer was 
the fact that such a museum with such rich collections 
could be found in the capital of this empire, which is 
known as a heathen nation. But it is true that many 
people would have to revise their understanding of the 
word "heathen" should they visit Japan. Japan is a 
non-Christian nation, but it is not lacking in cultured 
and educated people. 

In this same park are two trees which were planted 
in 1869, one by Gen. U. S. Grant and the other by 
Mrs. Grant, when they made the tour of the world. 
The Japanese are fond of trees and flowers ; and how- 
ever small their yards, they always find a place to 
plant a shrub or a flower. It is strange that they 
should be enemies of grass. They sweep their yards 
with bamboo brooms, and no grass is given a chance 
to grow anywhere. Their devotion to the tree is car- 
ried to such an extent that on a principal street there 
is a small shrine which had been built in honor of a 
very old tree. A cherry tree will be allowed to stand 
for years without bringing any fruit if it presents its 
rich wealth of blossoms when the springtime approach- 
es. A people who love the beautiful so passionately 
must be the possessors of the capacity for beautiful 
lives. 

I .cannot make mention of the signs of enterprise 
and progress which are so evident in Tokyo. The 
excellent electric street car system, which reaches all 
parts of the city, is only three years old. At present 
an elevated railroad track is being built through the 
heart of the city to connect the various railroad sta- 

23 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tions in the city and to give the railroad a connection 
from the northern to the southern ports of the empire. 
The city has employed a large company of men who 
are filling one of the great moats which ran through 
the important parts of the town. By this work many 
streets will be straightened, new car lines opened, and 
some new enterprises inaugurated. Tokyo has all the 
evidences of progress. It is one of the most inter- 
esting cities in the world to-day, and its interest will 
increase as the Japanese come more and more in pos- 
session of their native powers. 

24 



CHAPTER III. 
NiKKo THE Magnificent. 

ON our first morning in Tokyo we had the good 
fortune to look from the west window of our 
room upon the glorious summit of snow-crowned Fuji- 
yama, the sacred mountain of the Sunrise Kingdom. 
Many pilgrims in the summer, between July 15 and 
September 10, climb its peak as an act of devout wor- 
ship. It is the highest, the most beautiful, and the 
most famous mountain in Japan. It is 12,500 feet high. 
The traveler is never out of the sight of beautiful 
and entertaining mountains in this fascinating coun- 
try. The scenery in many sections is as charming as 
in any country in the Old World. The valleys are 
never broad, and the surrounding mountains give 
them a peculiar charm. 

With a glimpse of Fuji and a view of the robust 
hills and the praise of Nikko the Magnificent con- 
stantly ringing in the ear, is it any wonder that we 
set the earliest day possible to visit the far-famed place 
of gorgeous temples? Rev. Dr. Cortland Myers, 
Mrs. Myers, and the son, Cortland, of the Baptist 
Temple, in Brooklyn, were as anxious to make the 
trip as were the three tourists from Nashville. A 
jollier company could hardly have been found than 
that which took the six-o'clock train that February 
morning. The change of trains at Akabane, a station 
in Tokyo, gave us an opportunity to see how the Jap- 
anese women regarded the American women. When 

25 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

a tall woman with auburn hair and one of average 
height and healthy build (the one clad in black, with 
a white wing on her hat, and the other in blue, with a 
hat of elegant plumes) stepped out on the platform 
among a hundred Japanese men and women, the two 
critically observed parties in the crowd were from 
America. The native women, with low stature, black 
hair, no head covering, evidently had never seen wom- 
en of such height, figure, and dress; and they were 
interested, if not pleased, with the exhibit of that 
fresh, bright morning. The customs, habits, and dress 
of an American woman are as strange and entertain- 
ing to a Japanese as those of a Japanese are to an 
American. 

The day was fine ; and instead of the expected chill 
which we anticipated on approaching Nikko (two 
thousand feet high), there was the genial warmth of 
a generous sun. From the car window the mountains 
were glorious in their suit of brown ; while the fields, 
with their springing crops, were as entertaining as a 
new babe. The joyous spirit of the company never 
abated. Although we had abundant lunches prepared 
by our friends in Tokyo, yet Cortland and this writer 
thought they would try a Japanese lunch which could 
be bought at almost any station. The boys at the 
station sell these lunches, fruit, and newspapers at 
reasonable rates, and they cry their goods in most 
musical tones. The courtesy of the boys and the rea- 
sonable price of the articles struck the American trav- 
eler as unusual. But the lunch did not please the 
American palate, and it had the power of continuance. 
There is no censure of the Japanese because he likes 
the things which his people prepare. He learned his 

26 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tastes when he learned his language, as does every 
other man. 

The train stopped suddenly. We asked no ques- 
tions, as no one would have known what we said. 
The sense of dumbness when traveling alone, where 
no one can understand you or you him, is rather de- 
pressing. The country people began to come from the 
fields to see the train. On examination we found that 
something was wrong with the engine. The engineer, 
the fireman, and the three guards all gathered about 
the engine, but none knew what to do. The engineer 
seemed to be about thirty years old ; the guards, less 
than twenty. There is no conductor, as trains are 
run by the station masters, they issuing orders, start- 
ing trains, and taking tickets when the passengers 
leave the train. The flagman was sent to the nearest 
station, and after nearly two hours an extra engine 
came and we went on our way rejoicing. But the 
utter helplessness of the trainmen at such a time im- 
pressed the travelers, as did the smallness of the 
engines in comparison with those used in our own 
country. While we waited we gave some natives a 
good chance to see some real live Americans, and they 
improved the opportunity. 

The ninety miles were out, and we were in Nikko. 
Into jinrikishas we climbed, with two men to each, 
and in a few minutes we were at the Kanaya Hotel. 
We will not soon forget the kindness of Mr. I. Kan- 
aya for his many courtesies. He spoke an elegant 
English. He was busily engaged in putting in a pri- 
vate electric light plant. About forty men were draw- 
ing up the steep hill the 7,000-pound dynamo on a 
two-wheeled cart. Man is the draught horse of Japan. 

27 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Baggage-transferring, merchandise-draying, and all 
kinds of hauling in town and country are done by 
human muscles. Mr. Kanaya said he employed about 
one hundred men at forty to fifty cents a day. That 
young Japanese has the manner, the enterprise, and 
the outlook of a young American. From his yard he 
showed us as fine a scene as one would desire. Cas- 
cades, rippling, laughing waters, were four hundred 
feet below us, while the wooded hills stood out sub- 
lime on every side. After a glimpse at the little wood- 
en hut which Shado Shonin built twelve hundred 
years ago, we hastened to the scenes beyond the 
stream. It was not necessary for the guide to say, 
"There is the Sacred Bridge," for its picture was too 
familiar. But it is a new bridge, built only five years 
ago. The one which had stood since 1638 was swept 
away in 1902 by a great flood. No one was allowed 
to cross the bridge except shoguns and the pilgrims 
twice a year. The privilege of crossing the bridge 
was extended to General Grant in 1869, but he de- 
clined. Was this declination out of respect to Japan 
or America? 

Before we reached Nikko we saw the noted Cryp- 
tomeria Avenue, which is ten to twelve miles long 
and lined on each side by these princes of the forest. 
The temples of Nikko in all their gorgeousness could 
hardly surpass in interest these magnificent members 
of the pine family. Many of them towered more than 
three hundred feet ; and their straight, clean bodies 
gave them a military bearing which made them the 
proper imperial guard for the tomb of the mighty 
Shogun. Looking from the highest hill through this 
magnificent forest down to the splashing stream dash- 

28 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ing over the stubborn bowlders gave a thrilling sensa- 
tion which one visitor to Nikko will never let fade. 
It is no wonder that this region seemed to the old 
Buddhist priest, Shado Shonin_, such as gods and other 
supernatural beings would naturally choose for their 
place of abode. Nature worshipers will surely have 
their hearts warmed in such scenery as this. A more 
fitting resting place for a king could not be found; 
and the son of leyasu did a great filial service when 
he carried out the dying injunctions of his father, the 
great First Shogun, to build for him a mausoleum on 
this magnificent hill. 

After a climb of several hundred feet up the wind- 
ing thoroughfare we were soon ascending broad stone 
steps between two rows of cryptomerias. The granite 
torii, twenty-seven feet high, which are made of two 
columns, with two crossbeams, indicated that we were 
entering a Shinto temple. These torii are sacred to 
the birds. As we passed under these bars we were 
before the great Temple of Yakushi, which is named 
in honor of the patron saint of leyasu. Such mag- 
nificence in decoration is to be found only in the 
greatest temples and palaces of the world. The archi- 
tecture is of the gorgeous Oriental type, and must be 
seen to be appreciated. The gate to the temple, the 
half dozen small temples, the great Buddhist pagoda 
(one hundred and five feet high), the rich bronze 
lanterns, and the sublime cryptomerias all made a 
scene so brilliant and so thrilling that it is no wonder 
that the Japanese have been saying: "Do not say 
magnificent until you have seen Nikko." 

But finally we came to the last gate to be entered 
before we went into the temple. "Shoes off !" "No." 

29 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

"Yes, shoes off !" "No." "Visitors must remove their 
shoes if they want to enter the temple." We yielded. 
The guide without our knowledge had brought from 
the hotel six pairs of cloth shoes to save us from too 
great exposure. After the pedal difficulties had been 
removed and the tickets (which cost forty cents each) 
had been presented, we left our overcoats and hats, 
according to orders, and started into the temple. The 
half dozen priests that we had seen in the temple 
yard when our trouble with our foot coverings began 
were now in the temple and incanting prayers with 
good, healthy voices. Some Japanese visitors with 
us fell to their knees, but the Americans reverently 
looked and listened. The ever-present blocks of mat- 
ting, or tatami, as they are called, covered the floor, 
and rich screens were everywhere in evidence. The 
magnificence in paintings, carvings, and wrought 
bronze and gold objects was evident everywhere. The 
temple was worthy of the great Shogun, but the per- 
formance of its priests seemed solemn mockery. Gild- 
ed superstition must pass before golden truth. We 
passed out of the great temple to the little temple, 
where a girl with 3. red dress and a Avhite hood gave 
a sacred dance after a coin had been thrown upon the 
mat in front of her. She was very graceful in her 
movements, but she produced no convictions except 
that of her own folly. We passed on through the 
gate over which is the carving of the sleeping cat by 
Hidari Jingora, which is considered one of the finest 
works of art in Japan. We ascended two hundred 
stone steps, passed through a walled avenue lined by 
cryptomerias, and reached the beautiful bronze tomb 
of the great Shogun, leyasu. 

30 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The mausoleum of lemitsu is not much less magnifi- 
cent, but the Buddhists have appropriated it in part. 
The visit to other objects of Nikko would have had 
greater- interest had we not been satiated by what we 
had already seen. The memory of this day in the most 
beautiful place in Japan will always linger in the 
minds of the six Americans, who so thoroughly en- 
joyed magnificent Nikko. But Nikko is not in her 
true glory except on the first and second days of June, 
when the great annual festivals are held. The pil- 
grims gather then in great numbers ; and the sacred 
palanquins, containing the divine symbols, are borne 
in the procession. Ancient costumes, masks, and 
armor are donned by the villagers, old and young 
alike. But of that display this pen will probably never 
write. Nikko the Magnificent has charms for all who 
appreciate the sublime and the beautiful. 

31 



CHAPTER IV. 
Tokyo the Imperial and Other Cities. 

THE capital city of a nation always has an attrac- 
tion for a traveler which no other city can pos- 
sess. Tokyo to-day is not only the imperial city of 
the Sunrise Kingdom, but it is also in many respects 
the capital of the Orient, whatever the enemies of 
Japan may say. The political, industrial, and social 
movements in Japan create more interest and are 
watched with greater concern and closer scrutiny than 
those of any other nation of the Eastern Continent. 
The world has asked to be kept informed as to what 
is going on in Tokyo. It is the center of an empire 
of 48,000.000 people. It is a great city, although its 
little wooden one- and two-story houses would not in- 
dicate it. A few cement structures are now being 
built, since the earthquake in San Francisco has shown 
that such buildings are not so greatly affected by the 
earth movements as those of brick and stone. The 
small, light houses were less dangerous where earth- 
quakes were frequent. But the busy hive always ex- 
cites interest and admiration, and things are moving 
in Tokyo. 

It is true I did not see the Emperor nor even his 
palace. I did see the moat one hundred to two hun- 
dred feet wide, filled with water, which surrounds the 
palace. But the trouble it would be to get into the 
palace was not such as I felt inclined to take. Even 
the wild ducks and wild geese settled on the Empeior's 

32 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

side of the moat with a seeming sense of safety, as 
though they knew that imperial instruction had been 
given that they should never be molested. I felt a 
little skeptical as to the Emperor's divinity, as I would 
of any other man's who kept a harem with a dozen 
wives. However, I rejoice with the Christian world 
that the Crown Prince has only one wife. Better 
days for social consistency are coming in Japan with 
the heir to the throne a monogamist. 

I was not able to get any war news in Tokyo, al- 
though I saw some soldiers. The fact is, there are a 
great many soldiers in Japan, but not as many as there 
are in Russia, Germany, Italy, France, and England. I 
found no one in Japan who was able to think of any 
reason or excuse for a war between Japan and the 
United States. One gentleman, who has a reputation 
for his good judgment and his general knowledge of 
the Japanese, said that Japan to-day would be one of 
the first nations of the world to take international 
difficulties to The Hague. This country is now 
deeply involved and absorbed in working some great 
industrial plans. The only people who seem to want 
war are the yellow journalists and a few military gen- 
tlemen in both countries who seek fame on the field 
of blood. It is true that the leading Japanese are of 
high spirit, and they resent any indignities which may 
be shown their nafion or any of its citizens ; but the 
desire of the people is for peace. It is to be devoutly 
hoped that this nation will not be disturbed in its plans 
for peace and prosperity. The people are now strug- 
gling under a great war tax on almost everything. 
Even the railroad and street car tickets are taxed. 
This is a time for peace in Japan, and only the grossest 
3 33 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

indignities or the most glaring injustice will provoke 
this enterprising nation to a declaration of war. 

Through the kindness of Dr. Spencer a visit to the 
Houses of Parliament was made. Parliament was not 
in session that day, but a view of the legislative halls 
and the committee rooms was worth while. The pres- 
ent buildings are of wood, but plans have been al- 
ready adopted for the erection of more pretentious 
edifices on a more commanding site. However, the 
present halls are not discreditable. They have demo- 
cratic simplicity, and are by no means without artistic 
taste. The legislative halls are not greatly different 
from those at Washington except that behind the desk 
of the President of the House of Peers is the alcove 
in which is the throne from which the Emperor speaks 
at the opening and the closing of a session of Par- 
liament. 

The various embassies are located near the Houses 
of Parliament. Some of the legation buildings are 
quite palatial and are pointed out as places of special 
interest. The building for the United States govern- 
ment is of wood and not wholly creditable to our 
nation. It is democratic, to be sure, as it should be; 
but it might well be more representative of our coun- 
try and more respectful of the country in which it is 
located. Many of our foreign offices have been put 
where only men of wealth can hold them. This condi- 
tion is to be deplored. But there is a middle ground 
upon which a great republic like ours can stand. The 
legation in Japan has claims for better accommoda- 
tions. 

The business interests of Tokyo seem to be in- 
creasing rapidly. The number of large new business 

34 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

houses is growing, and some of the firms are opening 
large department stores after the pattern of those in 
America. The Japanese loves the dollar almost as 
much as the American, and he has found that it can 
be obtained only by adopting the ways of the com- 
mercial world. The foreign merchant complains that 
the Japanese are wanting in commercial integrity. 
Their contracts do not bind them as contracts bind 
the merchants of the Christian nations. It is claimed 
that a Japanese business man will break a contract 
if he can make money by so doing. This character- 
istic of the Japanese is affecting very materially his 
prospects in the commercial world. This national 
failing may be due to the fact that all business with 
outside nations was formerly carried on by pirates. 
It was for centuries considered unworthy of any high- 
class gentleman to deal in commerce with outside peo- 
ple. So those sterling traits of commercial character 
were not developed, and the nation has yet to learn 
the true meaning of business integrity. But new 
Japan will learn the business code of morals. The 
schools of commerce which have been established will 
help to bring faithfulness into all business dealings. 
Merchants from Christian countries do not always 
realize that Christianity has built for them a code of 
morals which could not be expected in non-Christian 
countries. Christian principles and high business 
ideals will help to correct some defects in the Jap- 
anese commercial world. 

One of the highest privileges which our party en- 
joyed was a visit to the celebrated private museum of 
Mr. Kihachiro Okura. Dr. D' S. Spencer has known 
Mr. Okura for many years, and through him this 

35 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

unusual privilege was secured. This collection of Ori- 
ental art is perhaps the finest to be found in the world. 
Mr. Okura accumulated great wealth during the war 
with China, and he wisely spent a part of it in secur- 
ing the most valuable and representative works of 
art which could be found in the Orient. He bought 
the old Shiba Temple, with its superior collections of 
figures, altar pieces, rich ceilings, and magnificent 
doors. He secured in Tibet many images, in China 
many rare articles, and in Korea the best specimens of 
its former treasures. Bronze, gold, silver, and lacquer, 
carvings and artistic handiwork on swords, coins, 
chests, are all to be found in this rare collection. Mr. 
Okura erected by the side of his residence a large 
three-story building especially for these art treasures. 
When we entered the museum, we were met by a bright 
Japanese lady, who spoke excellent English, and who 
acted as our guide. It developed that twenty years 
ago she was a pupil in the school conducted by Dr. 
and Mrs. Spencer. She is a Christian woman. She 
showed our party every courtesy. After visiting the 
museum we were given a view of the beautiful garden 
and then invited into the residence of Mr. Okura and 
shown his large drawing-room and entertainment hall. 
In the conservatory we were served with tea and made 
to realize more fully the extreme kindness of the 
wise millionaire who has done his city an abiding 
service by establishing this valuable museum. 

Tokyo has many poitits of interest. Inability to 
speak the native language kept me from securing an- 
swers to many questions which arose in my mind as 
I caught glimpses here and there of Japanese life. I 
was everywhere impressed with the fact that the Jap- 

36 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

anese are awake and are at work building a strong- 
nation after the pattern of the great world powers. 
Armies and navies are receiving great attention, as 
in the countries of Europe ; but no less interest is 
shown in the things of education, commerce, and no- 
ble citizenship. 

The ten largest cities in Japan are Tokyo, with 
2,000,000 people; Osaka, with 1,000,000; Kioto, with 
385,000 ; Yokohama, with 330,000 ; Nagoya, with 300,- 
000; Kobe, with 290,000; Nagasaki, with 160,000; 
Hiroshima, with 125,000; Sendai, with 102,000; and 
Kanazawa, with 100,000. There are fifteen other 
cities having a population of more than 50,000. Of 
the first ten, I visited all but two. The people of Japan 
do not live in the country, but in the cities, towns, 
and villages. When we realize that the whole area 
of the islands is only 150,000 square miles, or less than 
three-fifths of Texas, and that the total population is 
almost 50,000,000, it can easily be seen that the towns 
and villages are very close together. Yokohama is 
only fifteen miles from Tokyo, Osaka is only twenty 
miles from Kobe, and Kioto is only twenty-seven 
miles from Osaka. 

After five days in Tokyo and the surrounding coun- 
try, we took the express train — the best train in Ja- 
pan — one morning for Kobe, and traveled the three 
hundred and seventy-five miles in thirteen hours and 
ten minutes. We traveled in the second-class coach, 
as its accommodations and comforts were practically 
as good as those in the first-class coach except that 
in the first-class coach we would probably have been 
alone. If one wants to see a country, it is well to go 
where the people are, if he can do so with comfort. 

37 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The tickets cost $i.8o each. However, to ride on the 
express train, it is necessary to secure an express train 
ticket, which for this distance amounted to fifty cents. 
Then there is a war tax of ten cents on each ticket. 
So the tickets cost $2.40 each for the three hundred 
and seventy-five miles. The coaches on this train were 
made like an American street car, except that the up- 
holstery was as good as that found in the American 
railway trains. In the dining car we were able to get 
beefsteaks, ham and eggs, and other articles at small 
cost. Apples and oranges could be bought at any time 
for one cent each and sometimes cheaper. The sleep- 
ing cars are used only at night. They are not so com- 
fortable as those in America, but they meet the de- 
mands of a country no larger than Japan. 

The scenery between Tokyo and Kobe is exceed- 
ingly beautiful. For many hours the train runs at the 
base of Mount Fuji. A cloud that day kept us from 
seeing the summit of the sacred mountain, but its 
rugged sides were for some time in full view. The 
little fields tucked away in a mountain side, the 
thatched-roofed cottages in the cozy corners, the care- 
fully kept little orchards of orange and pear, the 
patches of wheat and barley, and the bedded rows 
for the various crops all held the attention of the 
traveler as long as the day had light. The hills and 
the mountains, the rushing streams and cascades, the 
kaleidoscopic combinations of nature and human hand- 
iwork made the reading of books impossible and filled 
the mind with pictures which the years will not re- 
move. A trip to Hiroshima a few days later fur- 
nished a similar experience. Japan is reputed to be 
most beautiful in April, when the cherry blossoms are 

38 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



out, or in October, when the chrysanthemums are in 
their full glory; but the truth is, this little country is 
always beautiful, and the traveler is doubly paid for 
every journey that he makes in this fascinating land. 

We alighted from the train in Kobe on Saturday 
night, and were met by Rev. Thomas H. Haden and 
Rev. M. Hori. Fortunate is any man who is given 
the privilege of entertainment in the delightful home 
of this missionary professor. Mrs. Haden, so well 
known to the former students in Wesley Hall and 
known now as the sister of Miss Florence Conwell, 
received us in her gracious way, and we were once 
more at home ; and our conversation was of Nash- 
ville and the good friends we had left behind. As I 
stepped from the train, Rev. Mr. Hori invited me to 
preach the next morning in his church. I did not 
know how to decline the invitation, nor did I know 
how I was to preach to a Japanese congregation. 
But at the proper hour on Sunday morning I was in 
the pulpit with an excellent audience before me. The 
pastor introduced me, although I never knew what he 
said, and I began my discourse. I spoke a few sen- 
tences, and then let Mr. Hori translate them for the 
congregation. Then we repeated the performance. 
By the time he had finished his Japanese I had almost 
forgotten what I had said. I was anxious to say 
something that was worthy of my congregation and 
at no time repeat my thought. It is told that once 
an interpreter said in Japanese, after the speaker had 
finished a paragraph, simply: 'The same that he said 
before." With such interpreters some addresses would 
be greatly shortened in the Japanese form. But I 
counted it a pleasure and a privilege to speak to that 

39 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

intelligent Japanese audience. At the close I was will- 
ing to say of my discourse as I never said of any other 
that I have made — that it was a "great effort." 

Rev. S. E. Hager, the presiding elder of the Kobe 
District, was in Kioto on that Sunday ; but he had 
sent a message that he would remain there Monday if 
we would come. Rev. W. A. Davis, the missionary 
in Kioto, is on his way to America, and so this was 
an opportunity to see the old capital and in many ways 
the most interesting city in Japan with the aid of one 
who knew the interesting places. When we arrived, 
not only was Mr. Hager at the station, but Rev. Y, 
Tanaka, the pastor, was ready to accompany us. He, 
like Mr. Hori, has never been in America, but he 
speaks English well. At once we went to the West 
Hongwanji, one of the greatest and most famous 
Buddhist temples in Japan. We removed our shoes 
and made a thorough inspection of this great place 
of worship. After seeing the West Hongwanji, we 
went to the East Hongwanji, which is perhaps the 
richest temple in the empire. The great beams and 
columns indicate the great outlay of money and labor 
that was required to erect such a magnificent edifice. 
The great Buddhist faith is not dead, if we may judge 
from these temples and others which we have seen. 
In one of these temples Count Otani, of the House 
of Peers, preaches a Buddhist sermon once a month to 
large audiences. Buddhist priests are conducting 
schools for boys and for girls in many cities. In 
Kobe a new temple is now in process of erection, and 
one in Hiroshima is being repaired and greatly en- 
larged. Buddhism will not evacuate Japan Avithout a 
death struggle. Christianity has already aroused it to 

40 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

a new activity. The future Buddhism will appropri- 
ate Christian truths, but it will not lightly surrender 
its dominion over the people. 

I cannot speak of all that I saw in Kioto, but I must 
mention Doshisha University — that institution which 
was founded in 1875 by Joseph Hardy Neesima. Rev. 
Tasuku Harada is now the President. He is a grad- 
uate of the institution and also of the Yale Divinity 
School. Until his election to the presidency one year 
ago he was a pastor. He is a man of strong evan- 
gelical faith, and is a wise leader for his people. Rev. 
Sidney L. Gulick, D.D., is a member of the faculty. 
No Christian institution in Japan has had a finer rec- 
ord than Doshisha University. Of its 868 graduates, 
319 are in business, 174 are doing educational work, 
91 are in the ministry, 28 are government officials, 15 
are editors, and 5 are physicians. In addition to these, 
5,000 students have been connected with the schools 
and are now scattered throughout the land, doing their 
work, for the most part, in a way to prove the power 
of the Christian influence here received. Very few 
students remain through the course without becoming 
Christians. This institution is rendering a great serv- 
ice for Christian education. 

I visited the Imiperial University and found an in- 
stitution well equipped and doing the work similar to 
that done by State universities in America. The de- 
partments of Literature, Science, Engineering, Law, 
and Medicine have large faculties of well-trained uni- 
versity men. The institution is only ten years old; 
but it has 1,500 students, a library of 150,000 volumes, 
and a score of buildings. The Imperial University in 
Tokyo has four thousand students and very fine build- 

41 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ings. I met there the Professor of Anatomy, who 
graduated in medicine in Germany. While he could 
not speak the English language very well, yet by the 
use of German he gave me a fine insight into the 
work of the institution. Japan has looked well after 
the higher education of her people. 

The visit to the cloisonne and damascene factories 
was instructive as well as interesting^. That delicate, 
artistic work shows the sensitive talent of the Jap- 
anese for the production of the beautiful. A piece of 
cloisonne begins with the metal base. After a cover 
of enamel and a laying on of the net of copper wire, 
it is burned. Then more enamel, extra wire figures are 
put on, and the article is burned again. This process 
continues through six burnings, when the object is 
turned out the thing of beauty that it always is. A 
cloisonne factory does not mean great buildings and 
fine machinery, but a group of Japanese artists, mostly 
women, seated on the floor and each doing his or her 
own work with a care and an interest which only 
artists can show. The Japanese sense of the beautiful 
is seen not only in the pottery but in the silk fabric 
embroideries which are manufactured in Kioto. The 
stores which have these charming articles are a con- 
tinual temptation to the traveling American. Kioto 
has many attractions. It was the capital of the em- 
pire until 1868, when the throne was restored to the 
present dynasty. Because of its silk and pottery man- 
ufactories, its prominence as a Buddhist stronghold, 
and its former position in political afi'airs, Kioto will 
always be one of the most interesting cities in the 
empire. 

Rev. W. R. Weakley met us at the railroad station 
42 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

when we arrived in Osaka, the second city of the na- 
tion. In his home we had delightful entertainment. 
Dr. and Mrs. H, M. Hamill were holding a Sunday 
School Institute in Osaka, and were being entertained 
by Mr. and Mrs. Weakley. We had soul-warming as- 
sociation. The whole party visited the old castle, the 
churches, the old temples, and the great bell which has 
just been completed. This Shotoku bell, made as a 
memorial to Prince Shotoku, is 26 feet high, 54 feet 
in circumference, 16 feet in diameter, one foot seven 
inches thick, and weighs 114 tons. Ninety thousand 
people contributed 150,000 pieces of copper mirrors 
and 120,000 yen in money. Thirty tons of copper 
bullion was consumed in making it. This is the largest 
bell in the world. But the bell, the temples, and the 
castle were not as interesting as the busy, narrow 
streets of this great city. Osaka is the great manu- 
facturing and commercial center of Japan. 

43 



CHAPTER V. 
The Educational System of Japan. 

THE emphasis which Japan is putting on the edu- 
cation of her youth is worthy of great praise. 
Every traveler is impressed by the insatiable thirst for 
knowledge which the Japanese manifest on every ac- 
. count. The business and professional men read the 
daily newspapers just as men in America. At the rail- 
road stations, along with the vendor of fruits and 
lunches, is the news agent Vv^ith his books and period- 
icals. It is no uncommon thing to see the jinrikisha 
man reading the morning or evening paper while he 
waits at his stand for the call of a customer. The 
Japanese are fast becoming a well-informed people. 
They are mentally alert, and are never better pleased 
than when they are told something new. 

It is very true that Japan is spending many times as 
much money for her army and navy as she pays for 
the education of her youth, but what nation is not do- 
ing the same thing? That the teachers in her schools 
are compelled to live on small salaries while the lead- 
ers of her fighting forces have munificent incomes is 
an indictment that might be sustained against many 
countries. But that the country has an excellent 
school system no one can doubt. The foundations 
of the system were laid by Dr. G. F. Verbeck, a mis- 
sionary of the Reformed Church in America ; and 
Dr. David Murray, who for several years was Super- 
intendent of Educational Affairs, completed the or- 

44 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ganization of the system practically as it stands to- 
day. There were teachers and schools before Dr. Ver- 
beck, but there was no system. However, this early 
education, especially among the feudal military class, 
helped to create a profound respect for learning, and 
the introduction of modern education by foreign ad- 
visers was easily accomplished. 

By an imperial decree regulations relating to uni- 
versities, middle schools, and elementary schools were 
promulgated in 1869. In July, 1871, the Department 
of Education was established, and all affairs relating 
to education were brought under its control. It issues 
instructions, approves and compiles text-books, lays 
down courses of study, and prescribes rules of or- 
ganization down to the minutest details, both for the 
schools that are in operation and for those that are 
considered necessary to complete the system. This 
Department of Education consists of the Minister of 
Education (who has a seat in the Cabinet), the Vice 
Minister, and fifty or sixty officials. "The business of 
the Department is distributed among the Ministers' 
Cabinet and the Bureaus of Special School Affairs, 
General School Affairs, and Technical School Affairs. 
The Ministers' Cabinet is divided into six sections, 
each having its appropriate work — namely, official 
staff business, public documents, treasury, compila- 
tion, architecture, and school hygiene." The empire 
is divided into five districts, and to each district is 
assigned an inspector who is supposed to make one 
complete round each year, observe, and report to the 
Department. The Department also has the assistance 
of a Superior Council of Education, which was or- 
ganized in 1896, and which meets once a year to dis- 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cuss questions submitted by the Department. It has 
sixty or seventy members, inchiding high officials, 
inspectors, the presidents of' the imperial universities, 
the directors of the most important public and private 
schools, and other men of learning and experience in 
education. In this way the Department knows not 
only what is being done but also what the leading 
educators of the nation think should be done. 

Besides the national support which is given to edu- 
cation, there is a local support and administration. 
The empire is divided into forty districts, or states, 
and each district into smaller districts, or counties, 
and each county into what might be called townships. 
With the governor of a ken, or state, rests the ulti- 
mate right to fix the number and the location of 
schools, to make provision for their maintenance, to 
appoint the teachers and directors, subject to the rules 
of the Department of Education and limited by the 
willingness of the local assemblies to grant funds by 
taxation. He acts directly with the schools of the 
middle grade ; but in case of elementary schools he 
merely approves the decision of the executive officers 
of cities, towns, counties, and townships. The state 
and counties have their inspectors, as does the De- 
partment. The affairs of the school are administered 
by a director, who has complete control and respon- 
sibility and does little or no teaching. 

There are five grades of schools : the ordinary ele- 
mentary schools, higher elementary schools, middle 
schools, high schools, and imperial universities. The 
ordinary elementary school covers four years, and is 
compulsory. Two years of the four of the higher 
elementary schools are also compulsory. The middle 

46 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

school corresponds to the last year of the American 
grammar school and three years of the American high 
school. The subjects taught are morals, Japanese, 
Chinese, English, history, geography, geometry, trig- 
onometry, botany, zoology, physiology, physics. The 
high school corresponds more nearly to the last three 
years of the German gymnasium or to the last year of 
the American high school and the first two years of 
the American college. The high school has three 
courses of study: one preparatory to the college of 
law and literature in the imperial universities, one to 
the college of science, engineering, pharmacy, and 
agriculture, and one preparatory to the college of 
medicine. It was originally intended that the courses 
in medicine, pharmacy, law, and engineering should 
be the prominent feature of these schools ; but the 
general culture courses have increased in popularity, 
and the time for them has been extended. In other 
words, the demand for general knowledge has given 
the high school more the nature of the American col- 
lege. The imperial universities have the departments 
of law, medicine, engineering, literature, science, and 
agriculture. In the Tokyo University, in the depart- 
ment of law, there are thirty professorial chairs and 
1,500 pupils; in medicine, 28 chairs and 600 pupils; 
in engineering, 29 chairs and 550 pupils ; in literature, 
21 chairs and 500 pupils ; in science, 22 chairs, with 
200 students; in agriculture, 23 chairs and 425 stu- 
dents. The Imperial University at Kioto, which is 
only ten years old, has 1,500 students and a superior 
faculty. A third university will soon be built at 
Fukuoka, where a good school of medicine already 
exists. 

47 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The primary common school education is practical- 
ly free. In the higher elementary school the fees on 
the average are thirteen cents a month ; in the middle 
school, fifty cents to one dollar a month; in the high 
schools and universities, $12.50 to $18 a year. 

A large proportion of the teachers are men. Of 
the 70,000 teachers in the ordinary elementary schools, 
only 13,000 are women. In the higher elementary 
schools twenty-two per cent are women. In the mid- 
dle and high schools all are men. In the girls' high 
schools sixty-five per cent are women. In the normal 
schools ten per cent are women. When women are 
employed, it is largely for the classes in sewing and 
feminine lore for girls. One reason for this state of 
afifairs is the backward condition of the education of 
women in Japan. Another is the early marriage, 
which takes place at about the age of twenty. A 
third may be found in the social conditions, which 
limit the social relations between men and women 
and make the employment of young women in the 
middle schools unadvisable. But the number of wom- 
en employed in all the schools is constantly on the in- 
crease. 

The salaries of licensed teachers in the primary 
grades fall between five and fifteen dollars a month, 
while in the grammar grade they fall between eight 
and eighteen dollars a month. In the middle schools 
the salaries range from $17.50 a month to $1,000 a 
year, and the average salary is $250 a year. In the 
college and university grade the salaries are some 
higher, but they do not exceed $1,250 a year. The 
President of Tokyo Imperial University receives 4,- 
000 yen, or $2,000, a year ; and the sixty-one highest 

48 




JAPANESE SCHOOLGIRL IN TENNIS COSTUME, 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

professors in that institution average less than 2,000 
yen, or $1,000, a year. But it must be kept in mind 
that the cost of Hving in Japan is much less than in 
America, and so it may be that the teachers are not 
seriously underpaid. However, the teacher in every 
country is the poorest paid of all the public servants. 

The school buildings are one-story, unpainted, unat- 
tractive wooden structures. In most places no provi- 
sion has been made for heating the rooms in winter. 
The absence of fire is in accordance with what the 
children have been accustomed to at home, as there 
they have no more than the small brazier. But while 
the rooms have low ceilings and few decorations, they 
are M^ell lighted and well ventilated. There is always 
a room for the teachers when they are off duty, a 
room for maps, specimens of various kinds of ap- 
paratus, and offices for the principal and his clerks. 
In the higher schools there is a visitors' reception 
room. Although the Japanese have no chairs in their 
homes, they have desks in their schools just as other 
people. The blackboards, maps, globes, and charts — 
all these school aids — are now made in Japan. Just 
as in America, libraries are not found in all their 
schools ; but they are increasing. As yet there are 
only about one hundred public libraries in the empire. 
School physicians inspect the buildings and the pupils 
regularly. 

It was my privilege to visit an elementary school in 
one city. The little buildings and the beautiful play- 
grounds covered the entire block, and all were inclosed 
by a high fence. I visited a girls' high school in Kobe, 
and was surprised to find that such excellent facilities 
had been provided. The sewing rooms in the girls' 
4 49 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

school, with their tables one foot high and the girls 
sitting on the floor at work, were very interesting. 
Japan may not have put up buildings like those in 
America, but the schools of the country will excite 
the wonder and admiration of any person who knows 
what has been accomplished in the last two decades. 
Not only do the Japanese have these regular schools, 
but they have schools of commerce, industrial schools, 
normal schools, and technical schools. The normal 
school at Hiroshima that I visited is doing as good 
and thorough work as most of the State normal 
schools in America. The commercial school at Kobe, 
with its five hundred pupils, might well be copied by 
Americans. In it are taught not only the languages, 
mathematics, history, and geography, but the princi- 
ples of business and the various kinds of fabrics and 
raw materials. The museum is filled with specimens 
of all kinds of cloth, ribbons, wire, coal, building ma- 
terial, and all articles that are bought and sold. Two 
Christian Americans are members of the faculty of 
the institution. 

The educational system has an excellent foundation. 
That the schools of Japan are as efficient as those in 
America could hardly be expected, but only a few 
years will be required to bring them to a grade as 
good as those of any country. The future defect of 
the nation will not be in the schools. The whole coun- 
try is fast going to the extreme of intellectualism ; 
and while morals are taught in every grade, from the 
first to the last, in the high schools, yet the danger is 
in the lack of spiritual vitality. Japan is getting the 
world's knowledge, but her greatest need she has not 
yet realized. 

50 



CHAPTER VI. 

Mission Work in Japan. 

YISITS to Kobe, Kioto, Osaka, and Hiroshima 
gave me some insight into the work of our mis- 
sion in Japan. Of the thirty-eight grown people con- 
nected with our mission, I saw twenty-one. It was 
a matter of sincere regret that I could not accept the 
invitation of Rev. C. B. Moseley to visit Yamaguchi 
and also to spend some time in the Matsuyama Dis- 
trict. But journeying editors who have only a lim- 
ited time for a visit to many lands cannot always do 
as they are inclined. However, I saw enough of the 
mission to appreciate what has been accomplished and 
what is now being done. Southern Methodism has 
not been idle during its twenty years in the Sunrise 
Kingdom, and its contribution to the Christianization 
of the country has been entirely creditable to the de- 
nomination. 

The delightful entertainment in the homes of Rev. 
Thomas H. Haden and Rev. J. C. C. Newton, D.D., 
on the campus of the Kwansei Gakuin, gave me a 
fine opportunity to investigate thoroughly the work 
and discover the needs of that institution. A finer 
location for a school — on the slope of tlie mountain, 
commanding a fine view of the great Kobe harbor — 
could hardly be imagined. The imperial government 
showed its appreciation of the location by building 
its great Higher Commercial College on the adjoining 
lots. The very fact of this government school being 

51 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

a neighbor has not only increased the value of our 
property, but it has given our institution a prominence 
in the eye of the public authorities ; and at the same 
time it has provided our teachers with an excellent 
opportunity to touch with religious instruction some 
of the brightest young men in Japan. Prof. W. K. 
Matthews, of the Kwansei Gakuin, has a large Bible 
class composed of the students in the Commercial 
College. Our teachers are often invited to lecture to 
the five hundred students of that institution in their 
fine auditorium. But the very proximity of our school 
to this makes it imperative that the work done by 
our institution be of the highest order. Shoddy work 
in mission schools in Japan now means their retire- 
ment ; for if there is anything of which a Japanese is 
judge, it is a school. As a result of that fact, many 
missions have been compelled to erect new and more 
commodious buildings and equip them with libraries 
and apparatus of the very latest and best kind. A¥here 
the Churches in America have failed to understand 
these conditions, a crisis in the work of their missions 
has been almost certain. 

When I stood before the two hundred boys in the 
chapel of the Kwansei Gakuin and saw the earnest, 
honest look on their faces, I felt that I Avas in Bell- 
buckle or Spring Hill. Dr. Y. Yoshioka, the Presi- 
dent, introduced me, and I tried to say some honest 
word to those fine young men. I spoke rather seri- 
ously, because speaking through an interpreter is seri- 
ous business. But Prof. H. Yoshizaki was very faith- 
ful in translating into the vernacular the short talk of 
the visitor. It is a matter of regret that we have not 
a college to which our young men can go after they 

52 " 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

complete the course in the Kwansei Gakuin; but col- 
leges are expensive in America, and cannot be support- 
ed without an endowment. Yet with some teachers 
supported by the Board of Missions it would be en- 
tirely possible to maintain a very satisfactory college 
in Kobe. I believe that it should be done. 

Dr. J. C. C. Newton, the Dean of the Theological 
Seminary, says that he needs a new building for his 
work, and he is right. At present the seminary is 
conducted in the Kwansei Gakuin. He needs not only 
a building, but an equipment of a library, maps, and 
charts. The preachers who are eventually to evan- 
gelize Japan must be made in Japan and out of Jap- 
anese young men. The missionary is always a for- 
eigner, and can never appeal to a Japanese audience 
with the same force as a native. In the first place, 
the language is in the way ; and in the second place, 
the whole temper of an Anglo-Saxon is different from 
that of an Oriental. Then the young men should be 
trained in Japan because when they are sent to Amer- 
ica they find new conditions and they are compelled 
to learn too many things that a Japanese preacher 
does not need to know. Frequently a Japanese in 
America is taught away from his people instead of 
being trained for them. A theological school in Amer- 
ica exists to train men for the American pulpit and 
for American audiences. The Japanese preacher is 
to be prepared for a wholly different work, and can- 
not get in an American theological seminary what he 
really needs as a preacher for his own people. The 
cases are not infrequent where young Japanese have 
returned to their country more interested in Greek 
roots, Hebrew consonants, Old Testament criticism, 

53 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

or New Testament introduction than in the evangeh- 
zation of their own lost nation. Japan needs evan- 
gelists and not critics, preachers of the gospel and not 
lecturers on archaeology. The danger of the Chris- 
tian ministry of Japan is just here. The foreign- 
trained professors of theology are too apt to em- 
phasize the things that belong to scholarship instead 
of that which equips men for effective, practical serv- 
ice in the ministry. The preacher, the evangelist, the 
man who knows the richness of the Christian faith 
and experience is the need of the hour in Japan. 
Shall we not equip such men for this ripening field? 

This does not mean that we are to lower the grade 
of scholarship in a Japanese theological school. That 
procedure on the part of the Church would be sui- 
cidal, for Japanese ministers have that insatiable thirst 
for knowledge which is characteristic of their people. 
The Oriental mind is philosophical in its bent, and its 
eternal "why" must be satisfied before there is a 
possibility of advance. But the minister in every 
nation must feel the burden of responsibility for the 
practical soul life of his people, and men who have 
accepted Christianity first intellectually must be con- 
stantly taught the importance and the method of prac- 
tical evangelism. A Japanese ministry thoroughly 
equipped — practically as well as theologically — in 
Kobe would become a mighty force in the Christiani- 
zation of that rich and most populous section of Japan. 
Only $10,000 would give the institution an equipment 
which would put it in position to do the work which 
is so urgently needed. Is there not some man or some 
woman or some family that will give that $10,000 
and build a memorial to themselves or some loved 

54 



ETCHINGS uF THE EAST 

one? The institution might well take the name of 
such a donor. Dr. VV. R. Lambuth v/ill be glad to 
furnish any information regarding the school and to 
confer about any gift for its further establishment. 

Palmore Institute has done a wonderful work in 
Kobe. That prince of travelers, the big-souled editor 
of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, who is always 
full of suggestions for the furtherance of the king- 
dom of God, saw an opportunity for a great mission- 
ary night school in Kobe. He gave some books for 
a library and the missionary authorities gave the name, 
and Palmore Institute began its career. No more 
effective missionary agency has operated in Kobe 
than this night school which has been conducted for 
many years in some convenient building near the cen- 
ter of the city. The Board of Missions has recently 
bought the home in which Dr. J. W. Lambuth first 
lived and taught when he opened the Japanese Mis- 
sion, and on that same lot the first permanent home 
for the Palmore Institute is now in course of erec- 
tion. The location is central and not far from our 
Central Church. Rev. S. A. Stewart, the principal, 
is superintending the work on the building in the day- 
time, and at night he conducts the classes for the 
Institute in the Memorial Bible School for the one 
hundred students from the business men of Kobe. 
The tuition fees pay the running expenses of the in- 
stitution. 

Lambuth Memorial Bible School is doing excellent 
work in training Bible women. Miss Maud Bonnell, 
with Miss Garner, Miss Spivey, and Miss Blount, will 
see that women who leave that institution are well 
equipped for their important v/ork. The teachers and 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the young women who are being trained have mothers' 
meetings, cooking classes for the women of the city, 
and conduct three Sunday schools. While mission- 
aries are being prepared, missions are being con- 
ducted. 

A gentleman in Tokyo said to me : "The greatest 
school for girls in Japan is in Hiroshima." When 
Miss Gaines introduced me to her five hundred girls 
that morning in the chapel after I had been shown 
something of the work which the school was doing, 
I was fully convinced that the gentleman in Tokyo 
was at least not far wrong. In the three kindergar- 
tens Miss Cook, the superintendent, reported an en- 
rollment last year of more than two hundred chil- 
dren. About seven hundred girls touched by this 
school every year is a record of which Southern 
Methodism may well be proud. The new building, 
with its spacious class rooms and commodious chapel, 
did not come too soon; and it has been of inestimable 
value in holding the golden opinion of the community. 
But the building is now full to the limit. The insti- 
tution needs the full block of ground, and the wise 
Secretaries will surely secure the extra quarter as 
soon as it is offered for sale. The school must have 
the government recognition of its Teachers' Training 
Department if it is to attract the class of women who 
wish to teach. The fine normal school in Hiroshima 
makes the recognition doubly important. The Boards 
at home should not withhold any support which the 
Principal finds is necessary to secure this recognition. 
A school that has made the record among the young 
v/omen of Japan that the Hiroshima Girls' School 
has made should be kept at the very highest point of 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

efficiency. The Mission Boards may not be able to 
maintain many schools in Japan, but those that they 
do maintain must be of the highest rank. The Kobe 
College of the Congregational Church has seen this, 
and has recently put up one of the finest school build- 
ings in Japan. 

Rev. W. J. Callahan and his cultivated wife made 
my stay in their home exceedingly pleasant. I was 
given an opportunity to visit the beautiful garden of 
the old daimyo (which is one of the attractions of 
Japan), the new Buddhist temple which is being built, 
the Imperial Normal School, and the Fraser Insti- 
tute (which has just been built by Mr. H. W. Fraser, 
of High Point, N. C, at a cost of $3,800). I spoke 
to a company of fifty men in the night school. I saw 
the old church and the lot on which the new church 
is to be built. I saw the cooking class, composed of 
the wives of some of the leading men in Hiroshima, 
which Mrs. Callahan has in her home once a week. 
In Kioto I visited the temporary church building and 
the fine lot on which a new church, to cost $6,000 to 
$7,000, is to be built. That church is greatly needed, 
and Rev. W. A. Davis, who is now in America, should 
be heard gladly for that cause. Buddhism has its 
great stronghold in Kioto, and the proposed building- 
is absolutely necessary to the prosecution of the work 
which has been so auspiciously begun. Rev. Mr. Ta- 
naka is doing a fine work for his people in Kioto. 
Some Church in the South might assume the whole 
responsibility for building that church just as the 
Church in Danville, Va., under the pastorate of Rev. 
E. H. Rawlings, assumed the entire responsibility for 
the new church in Osaka. By the way, those Dan- 

57 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ville Methodists should know that the lot on which 
their church is to be built is one of the finest in the 
most enterprising city in Japan. When I fully real- 
ized what those Danvillians were doing, I lifted my 
hat and said to Rev. W. R. Weakley: "No Church 
in America could have done a nobler thing than to 
build this West Osaka Church." Has Richmond, 
Norfolk, Lynchburg, Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, 
St. Louis, or some other city a Church that will do 
for Kioto what Danville has done for Osaka? Write 
to Dr. Lambuth about it, and cheer him and the mis- 
sionary in charge by telling them that the new church 
will be provided for. 

I must mention the meeting with some Japanese 
laymen of Kobe. They are planning a new and more 
commodious church house. A good list of subscrip- 
tions has already been made. One man, Mr. Naka- 
mura, the Sunday school superintendent, has sub- 
scribed i,ooo yen, or $500. I was greatly impressed 
by the interest and affection with which they spoke 
of their church. I must mention the fine evangelistic 
work which is being done by Rev. M. Akazawa in 
Osaka. The friends who assisted him in America will 
not have any cause for regret. Rev. M. Matsumoto 
is almost indispensable to the work in the Theological 
Seminary. Yet he is such an excellent evangelical 
preacher that I would almost covet him for the pas- 
torate. He fits well anywhere. Rev. K. Mito is a 
superior leader in the Sunday school work. Let me 
say here that Dr. and Mrs. H. M. Hamill have been 
well received and highly appreciated throughout 
Japan. The Sunday school interests will be greatly 
advanced by their visit. I regretted that I did not 

58 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

see Rev. J. T. Meyers, the presiding elder at Hiro- 
shima, but he and Professor Nishimura were in the 
midst of a great revival among the Japanese in 
Wonsan, Korea. They were preaching to audiences 
of several hundred and having conversions at every 
service. Of the work of Messrs. Moseley, Waters, 
Demaree, and Wilson I had excellent reports. How 
gladly would I have spent a fortnight with them ! 
The footprints of Dr. Wainright and of Rev. W. E. 
Towson are seen in many places. Their labors in 
Japan will not soon be forgotten. 

Missionary work in Japan was never so essential 
to the salvation of that sprightly people as it is to- 
day. In many ways the missionary work there was 
never quite so difficult and so delicate as now. The 
Japanese in their coming to themselves politically 
and commercially may be inclined to be a bit heady 
ecclesiastically, but that will not give genuine Chris- 
tian men and women, apostles of the gospel of the 
cross, any reason for decreasing their efforts. The 
boy as he verges into manhood is apt to show an 
inclination to throw off parental authority and de- 
cline parental advice, but the wise father and mother 
do not because of this withdraw their help and coun- 
sel from him. The Japanese are not children; but 
they have not reached their religious majority, wheth- 
er they know it or not. The great body of their peo- 
ple have never been touched by Christianity, and nev- 
er will be if the weak Japanese Christian Churches 
are compelled to carry on alone the work of evan- 
gelizing their nation. The Churches of America and 
Europe may be compelled to surrender their eccle- 
siasticism in Japan; but if they cannot learn to be 

59 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

missionaries without being ecclesiastics, the future of 
Japanese Christianity will be distressingly uncertain. 
The call of the empire for missionaries of the type of 
St. Paul, who would be "all things to all men to win 
some," was never so great as to-day; and fortunate 
indeed is the Church that can send them. 

Methodism in America has not lost a mission by 
the organization of a Methodist Church in Japan. 
Have not the missionary Conferences been discussing 
the question of self-support for a decade? Then why 
doubt the wisdom of organizing a native Church 
among a people whose ability for organization and 
leadership is recognized by all who know them? The 
organization of a native Church came earlier than it 
would otherwise have come had there not been a 
manifest need of a United Methodism in this country. 
Southern Methodists, Northern Methodists, and Ca- 
nadian Methodists are divisions which do not properly 
exist in a foreign land. So union was inevitable 
among a body of Christians who had no reason for 
being separate and every reason for being united. 
The desire for a Japanese Church did not grow out 
of the ambition to control so much as out of the nat- 
ural wish for union. If the Japanese had the unholy 
ambition to take matters into their own hands and 
exclude foreigners from the controlling body, then 
the need for further missionary work is very mani- 
fest. 

The Methodist Church of Japan was organized last 
May by the authority of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
the Methodist Church of Canada. The commission- 
ers from these Churches were present and had much 

GO 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

to do in forming the policy of the new Church. Dr. 
Y. Honda was elected general superintendent, and 
the Methodism of the Island Empire was given an 
autonomy. Who would suppose that such action could 
be taken without there being the necessity for many 
readjustments? The Mission Boards in America still 
hold their properties and control as well as support 
their missionaries. Complications under such condi- 
tions are almost inevitable, but surely the spirit of 
Christ will bring a satisfactory adjustment. Human 
nature, whether American or Japanese, whether cler- 
ical or lay, here as elsewhere may become quite re- 
bellious and self-assertive if it is not divinely con- 
trolled. The saints are not all of one race, and not 
all of one race are saints. The Christian spirit will 
bring unity and articulation in all the Japanese work, 
but not in one year or two years. Adjustments re- 
quire time when strong-willed men are to be handled ; 
but they will come if all parties will let the spirit of 
the Master teach, guide, and control. 

That man who thinks that Southern Methodism 
has lost her mission in Japan because a Japanese 
Church has been organized surely has not deeply con- 
sidered the conditions that exist. The day of count- 
ing converts may have passed ; but shall a nation of 
48,000,000 people, of whom only 65,000 are Christians, 
be left in heathenism because a body of Christian men, 
acting according to their best wisdom, form a Church 
in which there is unity and self-government? The 
nation is going mad on intellectualism. The great 
school system will in a few years drive away the 
superstitions of the temples. Shintoism can have no 
power as a religion with an intelligent people. Bud- 

61 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

dhism has no message for the spiritual life. Science 
and philosophy will undermine with the intelligent 
people the religions of the nation. The two horns 
of the dilemma in two decades or less time with the 
vast numbers of the Japanese will be Christianity or 
agnosticism. Shall Christian nations open the way 
for learning and commercial ascendency, and then 
decline to keep burning the light of eternal truth? 
The religious conditions of Japan cannot remain as 
they are if this people is to establish and maintain a 
genuine, noble character. 

Who does not know that the social life of Japan is 
woefully immoral? The divorces are so numerous as 
to make one almost ask, "Why have marriages at all ?" 
Such a condition exists among the nonreligious ele- 
ments of American societ}^ If social inconstancy is 
common among many Americans whose lives have 
been built on a Christian basis, what is to be expected 
among a non-Christian people? The Japanese trader 
does not know the binding force of a contract. His 
v.'hole life and character have been built on a religious 
basis which does not regard social or commercial in- 
tegrity as essential to proper conduct. Only Chris- 
tianity can correct such grievous crookedness in the 
lives of any people, however brilliant and however 
powerful they may otherwise be. The obligations 
upon the Churches to send missionaries can never be 
discharged until the evil things that are correctly 
charged against Japanese character have been re- 
moved. 

Japan is awake, and her people are alive. They 
liave appreciated learning, and are seeking it. They 
have found the value of commerce, and they are using 

62 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

it. They will adopt the things that will make them 
strong. They can see the worth and truth of Chris- 
tianity; and when they do, they will accept it. But 
a man cannot change his religion as easily as he does 
the style of his shirt or the architecture of his house. 
Religion deals with the inner nature, and time is nec- 
essary to bring about the desired results. No nation 
can be made Christian in a day. The work done so 
far is mxagnificent, but the day has only dawned. The 
Japanese are intensely patriotic, for which they should 
be honored; but their patriotism centers in a religious 
system of which the Emperor is the head. Keeping 
alive their patriotism may keep alive their Shintoism. 
Then Buddhism is awakening and offering opposi- 
tion to Christianity. New temples are being built 
and new schools established. Christianity must win 
its way by strenuous efforts, and the Churches at 
home must help as never before. Christianity can 
enter with enlightenment, while superstition must re- 
tire. With the opening of Japan to the light of civ- 
ilization there comes to Christianity the greatest op- 
portunity in its history. My plea to all Boards of 
Missions is to increase the evangelical forces which 
they are sending to Japan. The day of the medical 
missionary in Japan has passed, as the schools of medi- 
cine in that country are sending out well-equipped 
physicians, and the cities are building hospitals as 
fast as they will be used. The teacher is not needed 
so much, as the colleges and universities are gradu- 
ating men continually who are thoroughly capable 
of teaching in any institution. But the preacher with 
the message of life has a high mission. The emphasis 
in some missions may be put on the school or the hos- 

63 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



pital, but in Japan it must be put on the evangelical 
work. The Sunday school is soon to be the highest 
agency for missionary work in Japan. The children 
may be collected any Sunday in large numbers, and 
Bible schools may be promptly organized and con- 
ducted. The little ones may yet lead the nation into 
Christianity. The great work of missions has just be- 
gun in the little land beyond the sea. 

64 



CHAPTER VII. 
Taking Leave of Japan. 

JAPAN is a land of beauty. Its outside may be 
seen in a few weeks ; but its spirit, its thought, its 
purpose, its possibihties can be known in part only 
after long months of observation and study. The lit- 
tle nation has already surprised the world by its 
sprightliness, its resourcefulness, and its powers of 
endurance. Its victory over China in 1895 was un- 
expected, and its complete rout of Russia in 1905 
was a world marvel. Up to that time the best stu- 
dents had not known of the intense patriotism of the 
Japanese, while the great body of intelligent people 
did not realize that Japan harbored the thought that 
the big bear had taken from them what was rightfully 
their own in Manchuria. Just as the children of Ger- 
many had been taught that Alsace-Lorraine belonged 
to them, so the youth of Japan had been taught that 
Port Arthur was theirs and eventually they must take 
it or die in the attempt. The Japanese will not suffer 
an indignity, and they are as sensitive to an insult as 
a Kentuckian. 

That the Japanese want to control the commerce 
of the Orient, no one who has given the matter any 
thought can question. There are other nations that 
would like to do the same thing. But Japan has gone 
to work in earnest, and other nations are alarmed. 
Korea is under her control. More than 200,000 Jap- 
anese are already in Korea. Every new enterprise in 
5 65 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Korea is owned by the Japanese. The railroads are 
owned and controlled by them. The towns which they 
control are being cleaned just as the towns and cities 
of Cuba were cleaned by the United States. The fact 
is, Japan is beginning to do for Korea what the 
United States did for Cuba, whatever may be her mo- 
tive. If Japan continues her work in Korea for ten 
years, a wonderful change for good will take place. 
But who knows what is Japan's plan in Korea? The 
little man is silent here, as he was when the newspaper 
correspondents sought his plans in the war with Rus- 
sia. Some correspondents are mad with Japan yet 
because they were not allowed to plan the battles and 
report them before they took place. What is Japan's 
plan in Manchuria? The little man is silent. But 
he believes that he won something in Manchuria in 
1905 which has not been deeded to him. It may be 
that he is taking possession of what he thinks is al- 
ready his own. 

The war debt made in 1895 was hardly settled un- 
til the enormous burden of 1905 was laid on the little 
people. The knowing men were saying that Japan was 
staggering under her debt, and that she must rest. But 
the military and naval enlargements continued. The 
railroads were bought. Great public buildings were 
planned. A great merchant marine was built. The 
whole Eastern sea is covered with the flag of the ris- 
ing sun. The Eastern steamship companies are say- 
ing: "The Japanese are taking our trade." The In- 
land Sea is theirs. The traffic in China Sea down to 
Hongkong and on to Singapore is fast going to Japan. 
The Yang-tse River is carrying Japanese boats up to 
Hankow, at the heart of China. Good lines of steam- 

66 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ers are on the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. The 
government saw that the hope of building up a mer- 
chant marine was in subsidizing her ship companies. 
The subsidies are such that no companies can com- 
pete with the Japanese ships. The wise men are say- 
ing a financial crisis in Japan is sure to come in the 
near future. But the silent man continues his enter- 
prises and somehow keeps up his credit. It does seem 
that the ambition to control the commerce of the East, 
if that is his ambition, has some show of being satis- 
fied. At any rate, the Japanese is the liveliest man 
in the Orient, and laziness has no place in his consti- 
tution. He has done so many unusual things that 
China has begun to take notice. He excites my won- 
der, but I do not understand him. I have no prophecy 
for his future. 

After seeing the enterprise of the Japanese upon 
the land and upon the sea, after examining his supe- 
rior educational system and learning something of his 
insatiable thirst for knowledge, I am more and more 
astounded at his religious observances. The visit to 
the Asakusa Temple, in Tokyo, where the worshipers 
swarmed, gave me some idea of their crudity of reli- 
gious ideas. This is one of the most largely patron- 
ized temples in the empire. The worshipers went into 
the temple, bowed down at an altar place, threw their 
coins into a large place with a rough grating, then 
clapped their hands twice and muttered something. 
The priests are ignorant, not respected, and incapable 
of delivering a message. Shintoism has no preachers. 
Some worshipers bought sticks of incense and burned 
them. Others bought grains to feed the pigeons that 
they considered sacred. In this temple was an image 

67 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which was rubbed by the hand, and the worshiper 
rubbed that part of the body where she had a pain or 
infirmity. The head and stomach of the poor image 
showed signs of much wear. In Osaka I saw an old 
woman fishing out of a pool on a stone turtle's back 
a piece of paper on which a prayer was written. The 
water in the pool flowed from a fountain that had a 
stone turtle's mouth for a spout. In Kobe, on the 
mountain side, I saw a waterfall in front of a little 
temple in which the image was that of a fox, under 
which worshipers would stand undressed in the dead 
of winter. Who would expect such superstition in 
such an intelligent country as Japan? Even the Bud- 
dhist temples, with all their magnificence in some 
cities, have nothing that would satisfy, it would seem, 
a people that studied science, built merchant marines, 
and exhibited such force in battle and in commerce. 
Surely Japan is in the dawn of a new day. What 
will the Christian nations say to this new sister of 
such rare promise? Has Christianity taught her na- 
tions how to act toward the self-centered, vainglorious, 
yet precocious and promising young maiden who is 
born of non-Christian ancestry? These are days of 
questionings in the Orient, but the man who can fur- 
nish information that really informs has not been 
found. The only man who knows much about the 
trend of things is the newspaper reporter, who gives 
to the reader what he wants. The American will 
often find his newspaper very comforting. 

I regret that I could not remain in Japan to see the 
cherry blossoms, the pride of the Japanese. But had 
I seen them, I would not have been satisfied, because 
I could not see the chrysanthemums. However, I 

68 




STROLL BY THE LAKE. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

saw some plum blossoms. They were beautiful. But 
Japan to me was all beautiful. The women were 
beautiful, to be sure — a la Japanese. The jinrikisha 
boys excited my admiration. The farmers delighted 
me. The farms were no larger than the average 
American garden, but they were highly cultivated. 
The soil of Japan is, of course, poor. Even if it were 
originally rich, it would have been worn out a thou- 
sand years ago. So the fertilizer is a necessity. The 
offal from the barn and the home is the chief fer- 
tilizer. With the seed it is poured into every row. 
The farmer, with his two buckets on a bamboo pole, 
irrigates and fertilizes continually. He cultivates well 
all his crops. He even hoes his wheat. He plows one 
cow. His plow has one handle, and is used only in 
breaking the land. The little farms are separated by 
a lane of grass ten to twelve inches wide. Some of 
them are bedded so as to be a foot or more higher 
than those adjoining. The hillsides are terraced as 
far up as the soil can be used. So the whole country 
has the appearance of a large number of gardens. 
Why should not such a country be beautiful? 

I saw no idlers in Japan and very few beggars. It 
is true the carpenter pulled his plane and his saw, but 
he did his work. The tailor held his cloth between 
his toes, but that made him only the more skillful. 
The sign painter hung up his sign in English as "The 
Sign Boarder," but he showed enterprise. The mer- 
chant said that he sold "Boots, Shoes & Co." The 
English may not have been elegant, but it was prac- 
tical. The people who sold and the people who 
bought do not expect to abide by the list price. The 
story is told that when the railroad came an old man 

69 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

asked the ticket agent the price of a ticket from 
Osaka to Kobe. When the price was given, he asked 
for a reduction; and when it was denied him, he de- 
cHned to buy, but took his seat until the time for the 
next train. As the trains went every hour, he repeat- 
ed his action every hour until the end of the day, and 
then bought his ticket. But of course the leading 
merchants have adopted the custom of the one price. 
But whatever may be the faults found with the peo- 
ple as a whole or with a certain few, there are in 
every community men of sterling integrity in business 
and in all the activities of life. The number of gen- 
uinely true men in Japan is constantly growing; and 
with the growth of a true Christianity there will come 
the growth of a strong, noble national character. 

But good-bys must be said. Not only was Japan 
fair to look upon, but the friends that we met made 
the going like a home-leaving. First there was that 
home in Tokyo with Rev. and Mrs. D. S. Spencer 
and the kindly attention of Miss S. J. Vain. In Osaka 
Rev. and Mrs. W. R. Weakley did not spare them- 
selves to give us every comfort and make our visit a 
delight. In Hiroshima Rev. and Mrs. W. J. Callahan 
and that boy, Will, made life worth living ; while Miss 
Gaines and her assistants added good cheer. In Kobe 
we found in the homes of Rev. and Mrs. S. E. Hager, 
Rev. and Mrs. Thomas H. Haden, and Dr. and Mrs. 
J. C. C. Newton sweet rest and refreshing associa- 
tions. So, when on that Sunday evening we pushed 
out in the launch for the steamer while our friends 
waved us good-by from the wharf, there was a feeling 
like unto sadness. But when we settled in our cabin 
there were sacred memories of all that had come to 

70 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

us in fair Japan. These many memories we shall ever 
hold as the treasures taken in the long journey. 

When we awoke on Monday morning we were sail- 
ing the Inland Sea, and for one whole day we looked 
upon as fine scenery as can be found in all the world. 
The Rhine and Lake Lucerne were repeated with in- 
creased emphasis in this beautiful sea of the Sunrise 
Kingdom. At five o'clock in the afternoon v/e passed 
through the straits at Shimonoseki. It was here that 
the treaty of peace between China and Japan was 
signed a dozen years ago. It was only a few miles 
from here that Admiral Togo destroyed the last hope 
of the Russian fleet. The morning found us in the 
harbor of Nagasaki. We went ashore for the day, 
and visited the interesting points in this historic city 
of 161,000 people. It is here that Roman Catholicism 
first planted the banner of the cross ; and had the mis- 
sionaries been more anxious to establish the kingdom 
of our Lord than the imperialism of Rome, Japan to- 
day might be a Christian nation. The Romanists 
were driven out three hundred years ago, but to-day 
45,000 of their communicants in Japan are to be found 
in this vicinity where they first proclaimed their faith. 

71 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Shanghai, a Modern City. 

THE Yellow Sea acted very ugly the two nights 
and the day that we were sailing its waters. 
Many of the passengers were so upset by the way that 
things were going that they kept to their cabins. 
When, however, the medical inspector aroused us at 
six o'clock in the morning of the second day, all were 
able to report perfect health. The sight of a quar- 
antine station always has a health-giving influence. 
The physician at the Chinese port of Shanghai was 
not a Chinese but an American of the Irish type. We 
were reminded that we were entering a country where 
the foreigner is ever in evidence. Our good steamer 
did not go to the dock in Shanghai, but anchored at 
Woosung, ten miles from Shanghai, and we reached 
the city by a launch coming up the Huang-po River. 
The trip of one hour and a half was full of interest; 
and we had our first view of the Chinese junks and 
sailing vessels, and also of English, German, Austrian, 
and American war ships in Eastern waters. The 
Americans were quite enthusiastic, if not hilarious, 
when they came under the folds of Old Glory. This 
is the only time that the Americans had seen their flag- 
on the waters of the Eastern sea ; and while there was 
rejoicing at the sight, yet there was a sadness that 
the Stars and Stripes were known to the Orientals al- 
most entirely as the colors of a battle ship and seldom 
as those of vessels of peace and commerce. A little 

72 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



world travel would convince the American people that 
they are making a mistake in not establishing a cred- 
itable and competent merchant marine. Too much 
emphasis has been put on the navy as compared with 
that given to merchant vessels. A great number of 
battle ships will not compensate for a lack of vessels 
that can be used as transports in time of war. Amer- 
icans cannot travel far in American vessels and have 
the comforts which travelers require. The govern- 
ment at Washington would do well to consider the 
question of a strong world-wide merchant marine and 
the steps that should be taken to secure it. England, 
Germany, and even Japan can teach America some 
lessons in this important matter. 

As the launch steamed up to the wharf we received 
salutes and friendly greetings from Dr. and Mrs. J. 
B. Fearn and Rev. R. A. Parker. Mrs. Dr. Fearn 
had been a passenger with us on the Mongolia on the 
trip across the Pacific Ocean. So at once we were 
wheeled off in jinrikishas to the hospitable home of 
these good friends in the old Trinity mission house, 
which was built forty years ago by Dr. Young J. 
Allen. The historical associations of the place, the 
cheerful, glowing fire in the room set apart for the 
comfort of the travelers, the gracious ministrations 
of the hostess, the untiring kindness of the host took 
away the strangeness of the land and its people and 
gave us a home feeling which one seldom gets in 
world wanderings. But the English language does 
not furnish words sufficiently strong to express the 
heartiness and the richness of the welcome, the full- 
ness of the entertainment which the missionaries have 
shown us everywhere in these Oriental lands. They 

73 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



have been mouth, feet, and hands in this whole East- 
ern travel. Without them the tourists would be help- 
less and comfortless, and they would be compelled to 
retire without any adequate view of the country. 
What the missionary is doing- for the tourist to-day 
he has done for the merchants, the traders, and the 
promoters in earlier days. He .is sometimes spoken 
of in disrespectful terms by these same men to-day, 
but the shame is not the missionary's. What the mis- 
sionary has done for China in opening up the way for 
V/estern learning and Western enterprise, as well as 
in the establishment of schools and other institutions 
of the present-day world civilization, cannot be esti- 
mated in any values which the traders possess. The 
day is coming when China will learn that the "for- 
eign devil" is not the missionary, for he is in reality 
the foreign friend. It is true that the political mis- 
sionary occasionally slips into China just as the po- 
litical preacher occasionally exhibits himself in the 
home pulpit; but neither of them has a permanent 
position in the ministry, as the gospel of Jesus deals 
with a kingdom not of this world. The missionaries 
who have helped China most are those who have con- 
sented to preach the gospel and to give their time and 
talents to those enterprises which have for their ob- 
ject the Christianization of this great country. 

Shanghai is a great city of little more than fifty 
years' history, but China has had very little to do 
with its making. The old Chinese city inclosed with- 
in its ancient walls has about 150,000 people. The 
Shanghai outside of the walls has about 800,000 peo- 
ple, of whom 14,000 are foreigners. The jetty where 
we landed from the launch is in the French conces- 

74 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sion. Within this French concession, which is con- 
trolled by the French government, there are about 
150,000 people. The international concession, which 
has a municipal government under the control of the 
representatives of the foreign landowners, has about 
500,000 people. The British predominate among the 
foreigners, and so the city government is largely Brit- 
ish. English policemen and the well-known Sikhs of 
India patrol the streets and keep the peace. The 
Sikhs are very rough in the handling of the Chinese, 
and are greatly feared by the natives. They are tall, 
black, full-bearded, with vicious eyes, and dressed in 
heavy long coats. There are also some Chinese police- 
men who work with the Sikhs. The English police- 
men in their London garb take a general oversight of 
the city. 

Shanghai, with its practically 1,000,000 people, is 
the great distributing point for the foreign commerce 
of China, Japan, and Korea. Many of the 14,000 
foreigners, mostly English, are the representatives of 
large commercial establishments in Europe and Amer- 
ica. It is true that there are 5,000 or 6,000 Japanese 
here, but they are here in their own behalf. They are 
building a fine Buddhist temple on one of the principal 
streets, and they have erected a school building for 
their children which would do credit to any city and 
which is a fine model for the Chinese. The streets 
of this foreign Shanghai have good width and are 
kept cleaner than the streets of any other city in 
China, although that is not saying much, as the streets 
of the Chinese cities are proverbially unclean. The 
business houses are mostly two-storied, but in some 
of the business sections there are a number of large 

75 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

buildings four, five, and even eight stories high. The 
architecture of these buildings is largely English. The 
morning that we arrived the first street cars began 
to move. The streets along which the cars ran were 
crowded by the people, who wanted to see this dread- 
ful engine of destruction made by the "foreign devil." 
For two days the cars ran regularly; but no passen- 
gers were taken, as the authorities thought the people 
should become somewhat accustomed to them before 
they were allowed to ride. When they were opened 
for trafific, they were crowded to the utmost on every 
trip. Some accidents happened, but not as many as 
the Chinese expected, as the}^ had circulated the re- 
port that the cars were to kill at least one man a day. 
The cars run only in the territory of the foreign con- 
cessions. The fact is, the streets of the native cities 
are not as wide as a street car, and consequently cars 
can never run in them except that a roadway is bought 
and prepared. But the Chinese approve and enjoy 
these institutions of the foreigners after they learn 
that they are for good and not evil to the community. 
Many of the wealthy Chinese who have come to 
Shanghai have built large foreign houses for their 
families and furnished them after the manner of for- 
eigners. Some of them have introduced foreign cook- 
ing into their homes, and some wear foreign clothing. 
But these are always exceptions to the general rule. 
The Chinese are glad to get the protection of the 
foreign city, for in their own cities they have police- 
men only to scare away the thieves rather than to 
arrest them. So Shanghai is becoming the center 
for wealthy Chinese who desire to escape the private 
thieves and the public grafters of the interior. 

76 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

I called on the Hon. Charles Denby, the United 
States Consul-General and the son of the late Mr. 
Charles Denby, who was the Minister of the Unit- 
ed States to China for several 5''ears and who is 
known to the Christian world as a great friend of the 
missionaries. The Consul-General was very kind, and 
took time to show me the building in which the con- 
sulate is located. On the first floor is the American 
post office, where letters and other mail matter could 
be sent to the United States under the same rates that 
exist in the United States and with the same kind of 
stamps. I was shown two prisoners in their cells 
whom the United States marshal was to accompany 
to the United States. The cells were two dark rooms 
of an old residence, with some iron rods across the 
one window. Any enterprising prisoner could break 
jail in a few hours' time. The fact is, breaking jail 
is the usual pastime of these American lav/breakers. 
When the authorities want to hold a desperate char- 
acter secure, they borrow a cell in the jail of the 
British consulate. The cells in the American con- 
sulate are not only insecure, but they are also uncom- 
fortable and unworthy of a great country like our 
own. Many of the consulates in Shanghai are in 
their own buildings, which have been built to meet 
their needs ; but the representatives of the United 
States are compelled to rent what they can find and 
make themselves as comfortable as the conditions will 
allow. Shanghai, the doorway into China, should 
have a building that will be representative of our 
great country. 

On my first day in Shanghai I called on Bishop 
J. W. Bashford, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 

77 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

who was making preparations to leave the next day 
by way of Siberia for the United States to attend the 
General Conference of his Church in Baltimore in 
Ma}^ He has done a great work during his quadren- 
nium as presiding bishop in this district. His admin- 
istration has given great satisfaction to the mission- 
aries of his Church, and his brotherly spirit has won 
for him an enviable place among the missionaries of 
all Churches in China. There can be no question that 
the plan of assigning him to this field for a quadren- 
nium has proven to be exceedingly wise. He has 
learned the field, the men, the people, the conditions 
in four years, and has been able to give his Church a 
competent administration. The inadequacy of admin- 
istration through a flying visit of even the wisest 
men has been fully demonstrated. The missionaries 
of China have given Bishop Bashford a hearty wel- 
come back for a second term. His residence now is 
in Peking, while Bishop Lewis, of his Church, resides 
in Foochow. 

I was very glad to see the International Institute of 
China, the educational institution of which Dr. Gil- 
bert Reid is the President. While the object of the 
Institute is to impart instruction and extend enlight- 
enment by the maintenance of a first-class school for 
young men of the higher families, yet its larger aim 
is to promote harmony between Chinese and foreign- 
ers and between Christian and non-Christian Chinese. 
EflForts are constantly made to promote a friendly in- 
tercourse between the educated men of the higher 
classes and to break down the barriers which now 
separate the Chinese and foreigners. The member- 
ship of the Institute includes high officials and literary 

78 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

men of all China and many of the leading foreigners 
in China and some citizens of the United States. Sev- 
eral receptions in honor of certain distinguished vis- 
itors have been held which contributed largely to the 
establishment of good feeling in the Chinese toward 
the foreigner. The school has about one hundred 
young men from the best families of China. There 
are no distinctively Christian exercises held for the 
pupils. Only two of the young men are Christians. 
In fact, the Institute is not a Christian institution, 
but an institute to promote harmony between the Chi- 
nese and the foreigners. Excellent buildings have 
been erected. The results of this work must be bene- 
ficial in the end to the cause of Christianity. An 
afternoon in the home of Dr. Reid and his Southern 
wife, who was formerly Miss Reynolds, of South 
Carolina, was one of the delights of our visit to 
Shanghai. 

Shanghai is well supplied with excellent educational 
institutions. The municipal public school for the for- 
eign children is equal to the demands upon it. The 
Southern Baptists have a fine educational plant; the 
Episcopalians have their St. John's College, which 
has done very fine work for the Chinese; the Pres- 
byterians have their institutions. Our own Anglo- 
Chinese College has always been recognized as one of 
the best schools in the city. My first view of China 
was not what I would have had at any native city, 
but I was able to see in Shanghai what the foreign 
influence really is wherever it has full sway. Of that 
influence I shall not now speak. 

Rev. John W. Cline and his cultured wife, of the 
Anglo-Chinese College/ made us feel much at home 

79 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

with them four da3^s of our sojourn in Shanghai. 
They Hve in one of the houses of the compound, Rev. 
Joseph Whiteside (in the absence of Dr. A. P. Par- 
ker) in the second, Mrs. Young J. Allen in the third, 
and Dr. W. H. Lacy, the Manager of the Publishing 
House, in the fourth. On this same plot of ground 
stand the Publishing House and also some flats which 
have been built as an endov/ment of Soochow Uni- 
versity. On the opposite side of the street is the 
campus with the buildings of the Anglo-Chinese Col- 
lege. All this land is now quite valuable, as it has 
come to be near the center of the city since the re- 
cent developments in Shanghai. Before many years 
it may be a wise business action to sell this fine prop- 
erty on which the school stands and buy elsewhere at 
a lower rate. The question of disposing of the Anglo- 
Chinese College altogether and putting its value in 
the Soochow University has been frequently discussed. 
The Anglo-Chinese College has had a fine record, and 
its constituency is now giving it splendid support; 
and its enrollment of two hundred young men should 
surely be some argument for its continuance. Its 
former pupils form a fine body of workers for Meth- 
odism in lower China. The institution would likely 
do just as well on less expensive ground, and the 
extra amount of money which the present property 
would bring could be used to assist Soochow Uni- 
versity or to equip more fully the Anglo-Chinese Col- 
lege. President Cline and Professor Whiteside and 
their corps of Chinese teachers are kept very busy 
with this important school. I had the pleasure of 
preaching to a great audience in the chapel on my 
last Sunday through the interpretation of Prof. H. L. 

80 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Zia, the Sunday school superintendent. I never 
preached to a more inspiring audience. 

I was fortunate in getting a glimpse at the excel- 
lent building of the McTyeire School for Girls and its 
fine body of more than one hundred girls. Miss Helen 
Lee Richardson is a worthy successor of the founder, 
Miss Laura Haygood, The institution is reaching 
young ladies from the best families, such as the 
grandnieces of the late Li Hung Chang and nieces 
of the Chinese Minister, Wu Ting Fang. The influ- 
ence of such an institution, with its strong evangelical 
Christianity, can hardly be estimated. There is al- 
ready need for enlargement. The beautiful Moore 
Memorial Church, the only satisfactory church that 
we have in China, with the possible exception of the 
one in West Soochow, stands on the same lot with the 
school. The pastor of the school is one of the strong- 
est Chinese preachers that we have in the Conference. 

The most imposing building used for Christian 
work that I saw in the East is the new Young 
Men's Christian Association^ which was completed 
in October, 1907, at a cost of about $150,000. The 
valuable lot on which it stands cost about $100,000, and 
was donated by the Chinese. In all the conveniences 
and facilities for Christian work it stands the equal 
of the best in America. It conducts a regular day 
school also, in which there are one hundred and 
eighty young men. The Chinese General Secretary is 
Mr. S. K. Tsao, who will be known to the Methodists 
of the South as John Marshall, the son of the late 
C. K. Marshall, one of our first Chinese preachers. 
He is as fine a specimen of Christian manhood as 
one is apt to find anywhere in the world, and his use 
6 81 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of the English Inagtiage would persuade any listener 
that English was his mother tongue. Methodism has 
furnished some of the best workers for this Young 
Men's Christian Association. There are seventy Stu- 
dent Young Men's Christian Associations in China, 
and about forty organizations in cities. The Associa- 
tion in Canton is erecting a $100,000 building. The 
work of the Y. M. C. A. in China is very encour- 
aging. 

Shanghai is becoming a center for publishing in- 
terests in China. The Presbyterian Press does $250,- 
000 worth of business every year. The bookstore and 
the general offices are in the center of the city, but 
the manufacturing department is out where real es- 
tate is cheaper and where expenses will be less. Rev. 
George F. Fitch, D.D., is the Manager of the Pub- 
lishing House. He has labored twenty-five years in 
China. Three of his sons are already preaching the 
gospel in Chinese, and the fourth is now in college 
preparing himself for the same work. Such mission- 
ary families must have very great influence on China. 
The two hundred employees of the Presbyterian Press 
assemble every morning at 7 130 o'clock for religious 
services before they begin the work of the day. Why 
should not a Church institution begin the day with 
the reading of the Bible and with prayer? It is not 
to be wondered at that the Presbyterian Press is a 
great missionary agency in China. 

The Chinese Commercial Press is the largest pub- 
lishing house in the empire. It has branch houses in 
twelve cities. The three men who compose the com- 
pany were trained in the Presbyterian Publishing 
House. They are Christian men, and two of them 

S2 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

are sons of a Presbyterian Chinese minister. The 
capital of the concern is $500,000 gold. The sales- 
room is on one of the principal streets downtown, and 
employs seventy men. The printing establishment is 
out some distance, where the company owns six acres 
of land. The new publishing house is two stories 
high, 450 feet long, and 65 feet wide. It has recently 
been finished at a cost of $70,000. The large ware- 
room, or "go-down" as it is called in the East, cost 
$16,000. The publishing department employs six 
hundred men. There are thirty-five presses as large 
as those used in our own House in Nashville. Eighty 
men are employed by the company in translating books 
into Chinese and in compiling books for schools. They 
have facilities for stereotyping, electroplating, litho- 
graphing, and for doing anything that comes in any 
printing and publishing establishment. The only for- 
eigners employed are Japanese, and they are engaged 
in the art department. With the establishment of 
such an institution must come a new era in the schools 
and in the general reading of China. A competitive 
concern is now being organized. It is to be hoped 
that the competition will administer to the life of both 
institutions. 

I was, of course, very much interested in the Meth- 
odist Publishing Plouse, the joint concern of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South. The Manager, Rev. W. H. Lacy, 
D.D., received me most cordially and showed me in 
every detail the house and all the departments of the 
work. The house and lot are owned by the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, South. The house was built 
about five years ago on the old mission property which 

83 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



faces on Woosung and Ouinsan Roads. The Board 
of Missions of our Church sold the lot to the Book 
Committee. The Publishing House is controlled by 
a Publishing Committee. The concern is under con- 
tract to pay our Book Committee five per cent on its 
investment in the house and lot as rental. If the 
house is enlarged or a new building is required, our 
Book Committee must furnish the fimds. Already the 
Manager is calling for an additional building, but a 
new warehouse just completed has enabled him to 
make room for the machinery by giving him a place 
to store a large stock of paper. The plant, consisting 
of the machinery of the press room, bindery, com- 
posing rooms, and foundry, is estimated at $62,000 
Mexican, or about $30,000 gold. The stock on hand 
consists of paper and ink, $25,000 Mexican, $11,500 
gold; merchandise, $4,800 gold; foundry material, $1,- 
800 gold; bindery material, $1,400 gold. The average 
business per month is about $4,800 gold. The num- 
ber of persons employed is about one hundred. The 
capital of the concern is $120,000 Mexican, or about 
$56,000 gold. 

One evening, in company with two gentlemen, I 
visited the opium-smoking resorts. We went into 
three or four very large establishments, and found 
them all filled even at so early an hour as eight o'clock 
in the evening. Two men were in each booth lying 
down with a lamp between them and with long- 
stemmed opium pipes in their hands. Many of them 
were business men who had come in to smoke socially 
and talk business. Many showed that they were al- 
ready in the coils of destruction. The crusade against 
opium that is sweeping the empire has come none too 

84 




A CHINAMAN SETTING TYPE. 





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TYPF FOUNDRY, PUBLISHING HOUSE, 



ETCHINGS OF THE. EAST 

soon. In another part of the large establishments 
were restaurants where there was much smoking and 
tea-drinking. An orchestra of Chinese musicians 
made boisterous music for the entertainment of the 
throng of four or five hundred people in the building. 
Gayly dressed public girls, fourteen to sixteen years 
of age, were led around by their body servants. These 
girls were kidnaped when small, innocent children by 
emissaries of these houses whose mistresses sell them- 
selves and these guileless babes into the captivity of 
hell for the small pittance of a few dollars. But this 
sight can be seen nowhere in any native city of China 
and only in that part of Shanghai which is under Eu- 
ropean and American rule. Doors of Hope are being 
opened for these unfortunate girls, and some are being 
rescued. It is a pity that Judge L. R. Wilfrey has not 
the power to wipe out this disgrace as he has that which 
once attached to that object of the street that called 
herself the "American girl." The foreign settlement in 
Shanghai has said in regard to the opium crusade that 
it will not stop the sale of opium until evidence has 
been produced that it has been stopped in the native 
cities. Foreign settlements too frequently lead in vice, 
but follow in virtue. That is why missions rarely suc- 
ceed where the number of foreigners is large. The 
Christianity that is to save China must come from the 
center of the empire to the ports, and not from the 
ports to the center. That Church is wise that founds 
its missions far from the track of the foreigner. 

There were many other events in those last days 
which were intensely interesting, but I cannot speak 
of them at this time. I must make mention of a most 
pleasant call on Dr. Timothy Richards and his asso- 

85 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ciates, Rev. W. A. Cornably, Rev. David McGillray, 
of the Christian Literature Society, and of Dr. Rich- 
ards's call on me. He has great comprehensive ideas 
for the East. He wants three missionary colleges 
established — one in America, one in Europe, and one 
in the Orient — for the study of comparative religion. 
He says that "missionaries who do not know Chinese 
thought and who are not carefully trained in com- 
parative religion and the science of missions are in 
China like an army armed with bows and arrows 
marching to meet one armed with Catling guns." But 
his proposal cannot be discussed here. On Sunday I 
dined with Mrs. Young J. Allen and enjoyed the sweet 
fellowship of her home, made sacred by the great life 
of her noble husband. In the afternoon I stood at 
the graves of Dr. Allen, Mrs. J. W. Lambuth, Miss 
Laura Haygood, and others whose names are written 
on the broad page of the history of Christianity in 
this country. 

86 



CHAPTER IX. 

A Visit to the Missions. 

TT"7"HEN a man has the privilege of going up the 
VV Yang>-tse River from Shanghai to Nanking 
with Rev. George A. Stuart, M.A., M.D., the Presi- 
dent of Nanking University, he will act wisely if he 
takes it. Dr. Stuart has been in China for twenty- 
four years, a missionary of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and has done almost everything from run- 
ning a hospital and riding a Chinese circuit to pre- 
siding over a great educational institution. He has re- 
cently resigned the presidency of the university to 
become the editor of the Methodist Advocate at Shang- 
hai, succeeding Dr. A. P. Parker, and to translate 
some theological works into the Chinese language. 
Our steamer left Shanghai at midnight, and when we 
awoke the next morning, I found that we were on a 
very comfortable British steamer that plies between 
Shanghai and Hankow, a distance of four hundred 
miles. There are two lines of British steamers on the 
great river ; also a French, a Japanese, a German, and 
a Chinese line. They carry first-class, second-class, 
and steerage Chinese passengers, and in a special apart- 
ment the foreign passengers. The captain and sev- 
eral of the officers were English, the food was famil- 
iar, and the company was of my own Anglo-Saxon 
or Anglo-Celtic blood. (There is Irish in the most 
of us and often in the best of us.) Traveling on the 
greatest river in China, and yet without the semblance 

87 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



of strangeness — who could have expected it? The 
foreigner gets the best of everything in China — except 
a bargain. I was shown the utmost respect by the 
Chinese everywhere. It is true that I was called a 
"foreign devil" a few times ; but the language in which 
the sentiment was expressed produced no jar on my 
sensibilities, and I would never have noticed the op- 
probrious title had a missionary not called my atten- 
tion to it. The white man's face and bearing, his man- 
ner and dress count for something among the other 
races of the world. Shall he abuse this heaven-given 
privilege? Surely the white man owes his brethren 
in colors more than he may expect of them. 

After thirty hours' travel the distance of two hun- 
dred and five miles had been covered, and we were at 
the dock in Nanking, the ancient capital, and for many 
times, of the empire. In official documents it is not 
proper to call the city Nanking, as the syllable "king" 
means capital, and the government acknowledges only 
one capital. So the Chinese call it Kiang Ning Fu, or 
Kiu Ling, and even other names. What a motley 
throng met us at the wharf — carriage drivers, rick- 
shaw pullers, wheelbarrow pushers, Chinese hotel run- 
ners, beggars, and hardly a decent-looking man in the 
whole lot! I saw that I had at last reached China. 
A tourist will get a better idea of Europe than of 
China by seeing Shanghai. In fact, I slept in France 
or in England the nights that I was in Shanghai ; but 
when I lay on the good missionary's bed in Nanking, 
I was within a great city wall with locked gates. 
Nanking has been a walled city since the fifth or 
sixth century before Christ. The walls of to-day have 
an elevation var3ing from forty to ninety feet, are 

88 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

from twenty to forty feet in thickness, and are twenty- 
two miles in circumference. A large portion of the 
inclosed area is vacant, but the inhabited part has a 
population of 500,000 people. The Taiping rebels 
wrought havoc with the city during their occupation, 
from 1853 to 1864. They reduced it to a ruinous con- 
dition, destroyed its famous pagoda, the Porcelain 
Tower, and swept away the last vestige of the old 
palace of the Ming kings. I visited the place of the 
imperial palace, made a circuit of its walls, and went 
to the celebrated mausoleum of the Emperor Hung 
Wu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, who died in 
1398. How vain is the glory of man, and how fragile 
his greatest works of stone and brass ! Gray was right 
when he said : "The paths of glory lead but to the 
grave." The stone elephants, sheep, horses, unicorns, 
warriors, and priests which lined the sacred avenue 
to the tomb of the great in their mute solemnity give 
testimony to the ultimate desolateness of him whose 
immortality rests entirely upon the material things of 
this world. Man may live and continue to live — not 
by what he possesses or by what he pretends to be, 
but by what he is. When will he learn this lesson in 
which the whole world is an instructor ? 

On the way from the wharf to the city, a distance of 
four miles, we passed the American consulate. I gave 
the stars and stripes my best greetings. Everywhere on 
each side of the highway I saw mounds two to three 
feet high and more or less round. On inquiry, I found 
that they were graves. Wherever I went in China — at 
every roadside, on every hillside, at every riverside — 
there were graves. The boy who thinks that ghosts 
are in every graveyard would do much running in Chi- 

89 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

na. Unbiiried coffins may be seen from almost any 
highway. The Chinese must have a lucky place for 
their dead and a lucky day for the burial; and unless 
these are found, the burial does not take place. It hap- 
pens often that a coffin containing some member of the 
family is kept in the home for many months. The cof- 
fins are made of wood, four to five inches thick, and in 
them is placed unslacked lime, and then they are her- 
metically sealed. So there is no danger to the home 
or the community if the dead remain for months or 
even years unburied. In the case of small children, 
the bodies are often tied up in a bundle of straw and 
left unburied in some out-of-the-way place. I saw one 
on the walls of Huchow. The bodies are also placed 
in the baby towers. It is said that formerly undesired 
live children were destroyed by being put in the baby 
towers. I saw the baby towers in Nanking, but there 
was no indication that they are being used at present. 
However, in Shanghai while I was there some friends 
found that they are still in use. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church may well be 
proud of their imposing and well-appointed school, the 
Nanking University. I was glad of the privilege of 
addressing without an interpreter the two hundred 
young men who were gathered there from the sur- 
rounding provinces. The school year in China closes 
the first of February at the Chinese New Year. The 
beautiful campus of some fifteen acres and the half 
dozen excellent buildings for administration, chapel, 
instruction, and students' home give the university a 
most excellent plant. The policy of the administra- 
tion has been to employ laymen for teachers in the 
various departments and reserve the missionary 

90 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

preachers for the direct work of preaching. The girls' 
school is in the adjoining yard. It has about seventy- 
pupils. The ground and the money have already been 
secured for a more satisfactory new building. The 
Philander Smith Memorial Hospital is nearer the cen- 
ter of the city. It was very gratifying to know that 
Methodism has such a well-equipped humanitarian in- 
stitution in the heart of that great commmiity. Dr. 
Robert C. Beebe, after his twenty-five years as a med- 
ical missionary in Nanking, wields an influence for 
Christianity which seldom comes to any man. The 
Presbyterians and the Disciples also have strong mis- 
sions in Nanking. Surely this great population will 
yet hear the gospel and come to know the Lord of 
life. Dr. Stuart not only took me into his own home 
and gave me the benefit of the gracious kindness of 
his wife and three children, but he even sacrificed his 
time to serve as my guide through the city. After 
visiting the missions we went to the Imperial Con- 
fucian Temple, one of the three in the . entire empire. 
We found it closed and the gates locked. But this 
was no surprise to him, as he knew that the temple is 
opened for worship only once in three years, when the 
Emperor, in person or by proxy, comes to worship. 
When the keeper let us in, we found that dust, cob- 
webs, and the usual signs of neglect were everywhere 
in evidence. There was nothing in the great temple 
except some tablets to Confucius and to some mem- 
bers of his family. That is about all to be found in 
any Confucian temple. Confucius was a great sage 
and moralist, but he founded no religion — only a cult. 
The three fundamental tenets of Confucian thought 
are the fundamental unity which underlies the variety 

' 91 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of the phenomena of nature ; the existence in the midst 
of all change of an eternal harmonious order; and 
man is endowed at his birth with a nature which is 
radically good. Confucianism can never generate or 
maintain any spiritual life. The personality of the 
Divine Being is a conception which is entirely foreign 
to Confucianists. The fact is, it is right here where 
the trouble wuth all Oriental religious thought is to 
be found. The Oriental cannot get out of pantheism. 
This may account in a great measure for the belief in 
demonology which dominates China. The pagoda, 
with its five, seven, or nine stories, is a monument to 
the belief in spirits. The pagoda protects the town; 
for the spirits, on leaving its top, must go in a straight 
horizontal line, and consequently they will pass over 
the city, as the pagoda is always higher than any build- 
ing-s in the city. In front of a house which faces an 
open lot, opposite the doorway, is a brick wall ten 
feet wide and as high as the eaves of the house. The 
spirits coming from the vacant lot will strike the wall 
and be turned down the street and be prevented from 
entering the house. The cure for such superstitions 
is intellectual enlightenment and a proper conception 
of the Divine Being such as Christianity alone will 
furnish. Confucianism and Buddhism may support 
schools and thereby banish the superstition, but they 
have no adequate conceptions to offer. Enlightenment 
on their plan means agnosticism in the end. 

The stroll through the narrow, ten- foot, greatly 
congested business streets was full of exciting interest. 
The stores all open out on the street. Some of these 
looked very beautiful, while others seemed barren. 
The fact is. th.e Chinese merchant must be entreated 

92 




THE TEA RESTAURANT. 




BOUND FEET. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



to show his goods. He will usually bring out what is 
asked for, but he is not there merely to show goods. 
Shopping here is a little difficult for the American 
women. Is there anything quite so fascinating to an 
American woman anywhere in the world as shopping? 
Back of all these shops are the homes of those who 
keep them. It is no trouble to see the Chinese at 
their meals, as their table is set in the place of busi- 
ness. They have no tablecloths, no napkins, no knives ' 
and forks, no spoons, no plates, no sauce bottles, no 
pitchers or pots. Bowls and chopsticks are their uten- 
sils in eating ; while the common bowls, with cut meats, 
vegetables, delicacies, each person eats from with his 
own chopsticks as he may be inclined. The tea houses 
are prevalent on every street. The Chinaman does 
not drink water; but he must have his tea at every 
hour in the day, if not oftener. That means he wants 
boiling hot water for his tea leaves in a cup. The 
keeper of the tea house has an open place, with bare 
tables and bare benches or wooden stools, and kettles 
of boiling water on a furnace. The customer for a 
few cash (one-hundredth of a half cent) gets his cup 
filled, and he sits and drinks. The most of the busi- 
ness of a Chinese city is transacted in the tea houses. 
The restaurants are not greatly different from the tea 
houses except that on the furnace, besides the boiling 
water, are articles of food being cooked. The furnace 
is in the front of the room, and so the cooking is in 
full view of every passer-by. After seeing the cook- 
ing and the usual surroundings I was content to save 
my appetite for the missionary's table. 

After a two days' sojourn in the ancient capital on 
the Yang-tse, I took the steamer for Chinkiang, a 

93 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

beautifully located city of 300,000 people, fifty miles 
below Nanking. The railroad has since been opened 
from Chinkiang to Nanking. Much work has been 
done on the railroad between Nanking and Tien-tsin. 
When the road is completed, there will be a direct 
line from Peking to Shanghai by way of Nanking. A 
road is also being built between Shanghai and Hang- 
chow. It will connect with a road that is to be built 
between Canton and Hankow. A road already exists 
between Hankow and Peking; so in three or four 
years Canton, Shanghai, and Peking will be connected 
by rail. When Canton is connected with Calcutta, and 
Bombay with the new road through Persia, travel in 
Asia will be more interesting and more pleasant than 
it is to-day. 

When the steamer anchored at Chinkiang, I was 
met by Rev. W. C. Longden, the presiding elder of 
the Chinkiang District of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and taken ashore in a sampan and on to his 
hospitable home. After tea (everybody has tea in this 
country at four o'clock in the afternoon) we visited 
the Girls' School, the Woman's Hospital, and the 
street chapel and church of his denomination. The 
half hundred girls of varying ages greeted me in their 
assembly hall with a beautiful song of welcome sung 
in my own vernacular. That w^as followed by the 
"Hallelujah Chorus," marvelously well rendered. The 
smaller children did their feats in song and recita- 
tion, and the exercises closed with the "Kentucky 
Babj." When I told them that Kentucky furnished 
my birthplace and the "kinky-heads" and "banjo" 
some early associations, they smiled their surprise and 
delight. The voices were the best that I have ever 

94 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

heard in a school of that size, whatever may have been 
its grade or nationaHty. Why should I not have con- 
gratulated the Principal, Miss Grace A. Crooks, and 
thanked the little friends who entertained so charming- 
ly? Miss Lucy H. Hoag, M.D., showed me the Wom- 
an's Hospital and told me of the 5,400 cases that were 
treated there last year. This institution furnishes the 
Bible woman or hospital evangelist fine opportunities 
for preaching the gospel. The women will enlarge 
their plant and with it their work in a short time. 
Good fortune occasionally comes to the missionaries 
and their labors. The lot which the school and hos- 
pital owned had in it a very ugly ravine. Thirty 
thousand famine sufferers came across the river from 
the North, and the railroad came up from the South 
at the same time. The railroad wanted dirt removed 
from its right of way, the school wanted its lot filled, 
and the sufferers wanted bread. The distributing 
committee said to the sufferers: "Put the railroad's 
dirt on the missionary's lot, and we will furnish the 
bread." And it was done. All parties were helped, 
and injustice was done to no one. The philanthropist 
made no beggars in this case. The fine location of the 
school and hospital on the hill overlooking the city 
and the river, the proximity of the mission home, the 
pleasant surroundings give these institutions of Meth- 
odism a fine outlook. The church and the chapel in 
the center of the city are meeting with gratifying suc- 
cess. Every kindness was shown the Southern broth- 
er by the faithful missionary and his family, and the 
leaving the next morning had with it the sincere hope 
that the visitor and the visited might some day meet 
in their native land. 

95 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

My first travel by railroad in China was between 
Chinkiang and Changchow, a distance of fifty miles. 
The coaches have apartments for first-class, second- 
class, third-class, and coolie-class passengers. No 
one can ride in the lowest class unless he wears the 
laborer's garb. The rate for first-class passengers is 
two cents a mile ; for second-class, one cent a mile ; 
and for third-class, one-half cent a mile. It is seldom 
that any one purchases a first-class ticket, as the 
coaches for the second-class passengers are more com- 
fortable than any coaches in America excepting the 
Pullman. The railroad is able to declare a good divi- 
dend each year at these rates. The road was built 
by the English, and then taken over by the Chinese 
with the agreement that the English corporation 
should receive five per cent on their investment. The 
Chinese complained at its cost, but the English in- 
sisted that railroads were costly institutions. The 
}'Oung Englishmen who are employed as guards often 
kick and cuff the Chinese at the stations as though 
they were so many animals. They hide behind the 
exterritoriality clause, and know they are secure in 
their foreign protection. As a result of this kind of 
action on the part of employees, the Chinese manage- 
ment of the road is retiring the foreigners as rapidly 
as possible. 

After a two hours' ride through a level country 
with farms and graveyards on every side, I alighted 
in Changchow, a city of 200,000 people, and was cor- 
dially received by Rev. J. C. Hawk, who took me at 
once to his home. Wherever I have gone since land- 
ing in Japan, six weeks ago, there has always been 
some one to deliver me to the train or boat and some 

96 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

one to receive me at my destination. The experience 
is novel, but by no means unpleasant. This was my 
first contact with our ovv^n mission work outside of 
Shanghai. Rev. R. A. Parker, who is in charge of 
the work in Changchow, was in Shanghai seeing his 
brother, Dr. A. P. Parker, off to America; but he and 
his family and Miss Ella D. Leveritt came up in the 
afternoon. I saw the city, its narrow streets, its in- 
teresting shops, its ancient wall, and its great temple. 
The missionary was recognized by the Buddhist priests 
in the temple and shown every courtesy. We were 
admitted to the living rooms of the priests and made 
welcome to every place that we chose to enter. But 
Buddhist priests, as a rule, are ignorant men. Many 
of them do not know even the origin of their own 
faith. Were they converted to Christianity, they 
would necessarily be wards of the Church, They 
were taken as children into the temple, have always 
lived there and performed a perfunctory temple serv- 
ice, and would be helpless if turned out into the 
world.- They could not be teachers of Christianity. 
They receive very little consideration or respect from 
the people, and are only used in the ceremonies which 
certain occasions demand. Buddhism may have some 
teachers in China, but the priests do not hold that 
position. The temple — one of the finest in the em- 
pire — is filled with numerous immense statues of the 
Buddha. Behind the altar is a gigantic piece of 
stucco work, fifty feet high and thirty feet wide, in 
which are figures representing the various stages of 
life in which a man may live, according to the teach- 
ing of Buddhism. It is an ingenious work, hardly 
artistic, but instructive to the devout, who blindly 
7 97 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

grope after the truth of life and the hope of a blissful 
destiny. 

Changchow is a prefectural city — that is, the capital 
of a large district. Our missionaries are the only for- 
eigners in the city. At first they received the oppro- 
brious title of "foreign devils ;" but now more consid- 
eration is shown them, and the outlook of their work 
is quite encouraging. Changchow needs a plant con- 
sisting of a church building, a school building, and a 
home for the missionaries. They live in a Chinese 
house — the only missionaries of our Church in China 
who are not furnished with a comfortable foreign 
house. But these faithful men and women are will- 
ing to deny themselves the comforts of a foreign 
home in order to secure a suitable church for their 
work. At present they hold all religious services in 
a small chapel which is nothing more than the recep- 
tion room of a Chinese house. The Holston Confer- 
ence has subscribed enough money to purchase a lot. 
Who or what Church or what district or what Con- 
ference will build a memorial church in Changchow 
at an expense of only $5,000 to $7,000? The Cen- 
tral Church in Shanghai was built several years ago 
by the late Mr. L. R. Moore, of Kansas City. Has 
Changchow such a friend? The future will fully 
demonstrate the wisdom of such an investment of the 
Lord's money. 

Again I was delivered to the train with ticket in 
hand; and I bade good-by to the dear friends in 
Changchow, the memory of whose kindness will lin- 
ger as a benediction. The forty-five miles were soon 
traveled; and I stepped from the train at Soochow, 
to be received by that faithful missionary, the beloved 

98 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

physician, Dr. W. H. Park. According to the reck- 
oning of the Chinese, he became an "old gentleman" 
less than a 3^ear ago, when they celebrated with elab- 
orate ceremonies the fiftieth anniversary of his birth. 
But he is not an old man in any sense of the word, 
and his twenty-six years as a missionary in China 
have prepared him for even more distinguished serv- 
ice in the next quarter of a century, which it is ear- 
nestly hoped may be granted him. The station is a 
mile from the gate of the city, just as most of the 
stations on this road, and the missionary compound 
is outside of the wall on the opposite side of the city. 
So, as the streets are too narrow and rough for jin- 
rikishas, the only hope of comfortable travel was the 
sedan chair. That was my first experience in the 
chair borne on the shoulders of two or four men. 
It was rather disturbing to my democratic spirit. 
There is too much of the Old World spirit in being 
borne by other men. It was bad enough to be drawn 
by a man in a jinrikisha ; but when it came to being 
carried on the shoulders of men whom Christianity 
has taught me to call brethren, the whole democratic 
nature, with its training of three free American cen- 
turies, absolutely rebelled. But I rode on the men 
and my conscience, and was soon welcomed to the 
home of Dr. Park by his wife, the daughter of that 
great sainted missionary. Dr. J. W. Lambuth, and sis- 
ter of the efficient Secretary of the Board of Mis- 
sions. A talk at the prayer meeting of our own mis- 
sionaries on Saturday night and a sermon on Sunday 
afternoon to an audience composed of the missiona- 
ries of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Meth- 
odist Churches gave me an opportunity to meet all 

99 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the servants of the Christian Church in Soochow. 
While the results of the missionary labors in this 
great city of 500,000 people are not extraordinary, yet 
they are gratifying. 

I was greatly pleased with our plant in Soochow. 
Dr. W. H. Park and his colaborers have built up a 
hospital which is a great credit to our Church. He 
and his staff treated more than 20,000 cases last year 
and performed about three hundred surgical opera- 
tions. He has associated with him some most ex- 
cellent Chinese physicians whom he has trained. He 
has calls continually to the best families in Soochow. 
By this outside practice he makes fifteen to twenty- 
five dollars cash a day, which he turns over to the 
hospital fund. Friends of the hospital among the 
Chinese send in each year several hundred dollars in 
donations because of their interest in the work of 
healing which the hospital is doing. Some buildings 
have been erected with the funds which have come 
in through these channels. The reception room for 
the patients or visitors who are waiting to see pa- 
tients is a chapel, and the chaplain preaches to the 
people while they wait to be served. The mission- 
aries use the opportunity of preaching privately which 
the wards afford. Practically what is said of Dr. 
Park's hospital can be said of the Mary Black Memo- 
rial Hospital, which adjoins it. That Kentucky wom- 
an, Dr. Margaret H. Polk, is doing a great work, and 
her hospital is a heavenly blessing to the sick women 
of Soochow. The Bible women do for the patients 
in the woman's hospital what the chaplain and preach- 
ers do in the other institution. Only a vacant lot 
separates this hospital from the old First Church, 

100 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which should be supplanted by a new First Church in 
keeping with the surrounding buildings as well as 
with the needs of the large and growing congrega- 
tion. Just beyond the church is the Laura Haygood 
School for Girls. The two new buildings are very 
beautiful; and the third, which is in course of erec- 
tion, is just as beautiful. There are about sixty young 
women in attendance. The fine plant has equipment 
for doing a great work. 

Soochow University has an elegant and commo- 
dious main building, with excellent class rooms well 
furnished, good laboratories, comfortable offices, and 
as good a dormitory as is possessed by any institution 
of our Church. There is a pressing need just now 
of more dormitory facilities, as the rooms will accom- 
modate only two hundred pupils and the enrollment 
reached two hundred and thirty-three last year. Ap- 
plicants for admission must be denied because of the 
lack of room in the dormitory. Boarding in the city 
is impossible, and so the attendance must be limited 
to the dormitory space. The homes for the Presi- 
dent and two professors are entirely satisfactory, but 
there is need for homes for other members of the 
faculty. The campus is not large, but very beautiful. 
The friends of Dr. Park have recently built a water 
tower on the campus ; and as soon as some funds are 
furnished to lay the pipes, the University, the Laura 
Llaygood School, and the two hospitals will be sup- 
plied with good artesian water. The institution is in 
high favor with the Chinese, and it is recognized by 
foreigners and natives as one of the best institutions 
in the empire. At the recent commencement, when 
the first graduate was given his degree, the Viceroy 

101 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sent a personal representative from Nanking to speak 
words of appreciation. The government will un- 
doubtedly give the institution public recognition as 
soon as the President lays its claims before the Vice- 
ro3^ If the proper high standard is maintained, Soo- 
chow University will soon hold an enviable place in 
the esteem of the higher classes of China. With such 
a plant the Church has a right to expect great re- 
sults in its work of Christianizing the Chinese. At 
present only twenty of the two hundred young men 
are Christians. This gives a large field for the mis- 
sionaries whose primary object is the conversion of 
these young men to Christianity and a personal faith 
in Jesus Christ. No superiority of equipment or in- 
struction can atone for any lack in the results of the 
true missionary labors. The Church may well rely 
on the men who now have this important matter in 
charge. 

The Davidson Memorial Industrial and Bible School, 
in the western portion of the city, is doing a mag- 
nificent work. About eighty girls are in the School, 
and many of these support themselves entirely or in 
part by their work in the Industrial School. Forty 
women of mature age spend each day in the work- 
room in making fine embroidery and doing other high- 
grade needlework. These women are paid wages, and 
the school sells the articles made. Each morning 
these women have a Bible lesson, and as a result the 
most of them are now Christians. Day schools are 
conducted in the neighborhood in connection witli this 
institution. The West Soochow Church adjoins the 
school, and its three hundred seats are taken at the 
services each Sunday. The institution and the Church 

102 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

are meeting with most gratifying results in this com- 
munity. Most of the people who are reached are poor, 
but with just such persons Methodism and Christian- 
ity had their beginning. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has seven- 
ty-two missionaries in China, counting the twenty- 
two wives and the three women who are employed as 
special teachers in our schools. Of the seventy-two, 
thirty-one live in Soochow, fifteen in Shanghai, eleven 
in Huchow, ten in Sungkiang, and five in Changchow. 
The five cities are quite accessible to each other, as 
Soochow and Changchow are on the railroad that runs 
north from Shanghai, Soochow being fifty-three miles 
from Shanghai, and Changchow being only fifty miles 
from Soochow. Sungkiang is only twenty-five miles 
from Shanghai, and the two cities are connected by a 
railroad. Canals connect Huchow with Soochow and 
also with Sungkiang and Shanghai, and the distance 
of eighty and one hundred miles can be covered by 
the launches in eight or ten hours. So the v/ork of 
our mission is in a compact territory and has very 
few physical difficulties in the way of travel. The 
Conference has, besides the eighteen missionary 
preachers, twenty-two native preachers. Some local 
Chinese preachers are also emploj^ed by the presiding 
elders. Every congregation in China has a Chinese 
pastor. The missionary puts the responsibility of ev- 
ery work on the native as soon as possible. This 
seems very sensible. The sooner the Chinese feel that 
the responsibility for the conversion of their people 
must depend upon them, the quicker will Christianity 
reach the great empire. The Chinese are naturally 
tlie best pastors and preachers for their people. It is 

103 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

very gratifying to know that some of those who now 
fill the pulpits are regarded by the missionaries as 
strong preachers, and their sermons are heard with 
as much interest by the foreigner as by the native. 

The presiding elders occupy an important position in 
China, as they are really the superintendents of all the 
points and preachers in their charges. They are the 
leaders in the missions, and have very much to do with 
the progress of all evangelistic work. From the mo- 
ment I reached China till I set sail these men showed 
me every courtesy and were always glad to talk of the 
great work committed to their hands. They took 
charge of me at their points and showed me fully the 
work of the missions. Dr. J. B. Fearn was kind enough 
to offer to accompany me from Soochow to Huchow, 
thence to Sungkiang, and on to Shanghai. Of course 
I accepted his offer because I was glad to have the 
benefit of his fellowship and I wanted to see all our 
missionaries in China — and I saw them. 

On Monday this Shanghai presiding elder appeared 
at the missionary compound in Soochow on a donkey 
— a six-foot-two-inches, two-hundred-pound man on a 
three- foot, inconsequential son of stupidity. I mount- 
ed the mate, and we rode off, much to the merriment 
of the good missionaries who were out to bid us fare- 
well. A man will ride anything in China, from a "one- 
hoss shay" to a wheelbarrow. However, a trotting 
donkey three feet long will give satisfaction quickest. 
We dismounted at the Customhouse, an institution 
that is controlled and administered everywhere in 
China by the British government. England has her 
way of collecting debts in the Fast and at the same 
time furnishing employment for a vast army of her 

104 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sons. The Britisher is in evidence everywhere in the 
Orient, but he is seldom known to break down from 
overwork. He thinks the American's strenuosity is 
"very funny." While we stood talking to a young- 
Englishman, a small Japanese launch steamed up from 
the Japanese concession, a half mile below. The Jap- 
anese have learned the tricks of the foreign nations, 
and so at the close of the China- Japan War they de- 
manded concessions. Japan is losing the friendship 
of some nations by copying their tricks in the Orient. 
She has had examples in almost all that she is doing 
over here, and her aptness as a pupil has alarmed some 
of her competitors. Even her steamers are plying all 
the rivers and canals in China that are open to other 
nations. The launch was escorted by a Chinese gun- 
boat to protect the passengers from the bands of 
pirates that have recently been committing outrages 
on the canals that we were to travel. Sometimes the 
canals are only twenty-five to thirty feet wide, and 
robbers would have no trouble in boarding the small 
boats. While the gunboat might have been consid- 
ered an object of ridicule, yet its presence under the 
circumstances was by no means despised. The launch 
not only carried passengers, but it towed a barge with 
accommodations for passengers and a half dozen pri- 
vate house boats. We took the best accommodations 
on the barge, which were called first-class ; while many 
Chinese were in or on the other part of the barge. 
As the banks of the canals were not more than five 
or six feet high, it was very easy to stand on the 
barge and see the whole surrounding country. The 
farms and the graveyards were on either side. In- 
stead of having great fields in those level tracts of 

105 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

land, the acres were divided into garden plots and 
farmed minutely for two crops a year. At many points 
we found the farmers dredging the canals for muck to 
put on their little farms. The canals furnish the fer- 
tilizer and the water for irrigation. The Grand Canal, 
running as it does from Tien-tsin to Southern China, 
has furnished, with its great network of smaller canals, 
the greatest facilities for travel, for marketing their 
products, and for meeting the requirements of their 
homes and their industries to the vast millions of this 
great country. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon (the Chinese eating 
time) on the center table in the cabin were placed 
bowls of vegetables, cut meat cooked in a stew, and 
other dishes ; and each passenger was supplied with 
a bowl of rice and two chopsticks. The two China- 
men and the presiding elder crossed chopsticks in the 
common bowl ; but the stranger remembered that good 
Mrs. Park had prepared for him a lunch of agreeable 
American cooking, and he chose the cold supper rather 
than the uncertainty in the warm one. The Chinese 
do not use butter or lard in cooking, but an oil made 
from millet and beans. This gives all food a strange 
flavor. They put in other seasoning which is not al- 
ways agreeable to the palate of the foreigner. When 
night came on, Dr. Fearn brought out two handbags 
and took from them two beds, which he threw on 
the bunks. We slept comfortably until one o'clock, 
when we reached Huchow, where we transferred to 
the house boat of Rev. J. L. Hendry, in which we 
concluded the night's repose. 

The missionaries had learned of our coming, and 
had come from their evangelistic labors on their cir- 

106 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cuits. . Rev. T. A. Hearn, the presiding elder, is lead- 
ing a most successful campaign in the Huchow Dis- 
trict. He baptized and received into the Church a 
score the week before our arrival. Rev, J. L. Hendry 
and his wife had returned from a two weeks' service 
from which twenty-five were received into the Church. 
Rev. E. Pilley was meeting with similar success on 
his circuit. The fact is, the reports of these brethren 
thrilled me as nothing else which I had heard or 
seen in China. The Huchow District was organized 
six years ago with a few members at Huchow, and 
now the district reports more than i,ooo communi- 
cants, or more than one- fourth of the entire Chinese 
membership. Its progress has been made almost en- 
tirely through the evangelistic work. By the "foolish- 
ness of preaching" St. Paul expected the world to 
be converted to Christ. In China the greatest ingath- 
erings have been in those provinces (especially Che- 
kiang and Fu-kien) where the emphasis has been laid 
upon the evangelistic work. The majority of our mis- 
sionaries in China are in educational work; and some 
of our men who have felt the call to preach and are 
regularly ordained ministers have never had the priv- 
ilege of doing regular ministerial work any more than 
preachers who are teaching in any of our Church 
schools are given that privilege. This is due to the 
fact that the schools had to be cared for; and after 
they received the indispensable number of men, there 
were not many left for the evangelistic work. The 
work of the schools is as much- missionary and is as 
necessary as the preaching, but no more so. The edu- 
cational force should not be diminished by a single 
man ; on the contrary, it should be increased. But 

107 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

there can be little doubt that the evangelistic- force 
should receive reenforcement until it is at least as 
strong- as the educational force. Some of the Church- 
es are solving this problem in part by employing young 
laymen for the schools and thereby releasing some of 
the preachers for the evangelistic work. In our Soo- 
chow University we have five 3^oung laymen as teach- 
ers. The question as to how these matters should be 
adjusted, no man, unless exceedingly wise, on a visit 
of three weeks would be able to decide ; but that the 
Church at home should send out to China at once a 
half dozen men for the evangelistic work or for the 
schools, so that men might be released, there can be 
very little doubt. The reason that they have not been 
sent already is that the Church has not supplied the 
funds. The Board cannot supply men unless the 
Church contributes the money. The man who can 
preach the gospel in Chinese to-day has the highest 
privilege given to man in these opening years of the 
twentieth century. The man who has a genuine mes- 
sage and can deliver it with power will have as sym- 
pathetic and appreciative an audience in China as he 
will find in the United States, and the results of his 
preaching will be just as gratifying. 

My visit to Huchow was full of interest. Besides 
the preachers mentioned, whose courtesies and the 
kindness of whose wives were greatly appreciated, I 
found A/[iss Clara E. Steger, Miss Emma Steger, of 
Missouri, Miss Mary Lou White, of Virginia, and 
Miss Lochie Rankin, of Tennessee, all enthusiastic 
over their work. I felt like making the full quota of 
Chinese bows to Miss Rankin, the first missionary of 
the Woman's Board. She is busily engaged in her 

108 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

loved employ — that of conducting a girls' day school. 
Many a wayfarer has found the Vv^ay by the torch 
which she has kept lighted. The young women are 
happy in their beautiful home, built by the ladies of 
the Tennessee Conference ; while they have every con- 
venience and comfort in the elegant school building, 
built by the women of Virginia. The Woman's Board 
has built wisely and well everywhere in the China 
Mission, and the work of their schools is prosperous. 
The boys' school, under the principalship of Rev. W. 
A. Estes, needs a building very much. Huchow should 
have a church building at the earliest possible moment. 
If the plans of those who have labored in this city of 
100,000 people are carried out, we will soon have a 
great plant in one of the most fruitful sections in 
which we have work. The people are responsive to 
the gospel. When I arrived, I was told that a meet- 
ing had been arranged for the afternoon, when I 
would meet some of the people. I supposed that the 
missionaries would be present and a few Chinese help- 
ers. To my surprise, when I arrived I found the 
chapel crowded with more than three hundred Chi- 
nese. Rev. T. A, Hearn acted as interpreter, and I 
spoke as long as regard for my patient audience 
would allow. The attention and order were as good 
as would be secured in a mixed audience of men, 
women, and children in America. I left Huchow 
feeling greatly encouraged with the outlook of our 
work in China and with the determination to do what 
I could to send more evangelists to this great field. 

The Huchow presiding elder Is building a new "eld- 
erage," and he had to go to Shanghai for material. 
So Dr. Fearn and I got into his house boat with him, 

109 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and we were towed down the canal to Sungkiang, 
where we stopped for a day. Rev. H. T. Reed aroused 
us from our comfortable slumbers, and we went at 
once to his home for breakfast and then to the boys' 
school which he is conducting. Out of the sixty boys, 
twelve have already signified their intention of becom- 
ing ministers. This is very encouraging, as the men 
who are in the end to reach China are the Chinese; 
and unless our schools supply the ministry, we can- 
not hope for an}'^ great advancement of Christianity. 
The old Buffington College produced most of the 
Chinese preachers now in the Conference, and its 
work can never be too highly appreciated. The lack 
of ministerial candidates in our two principal schools 
is the chief cause for discouragement regarding our 
future work. However, the missionaries are all awake 
to this condition, and they are making special efforts 
to secure men for the ministry. The boys' school at 
Sungkiang is doing fine work. Principal Reed is be- 
ing assisted by Rev. George R. Loehr. Miss Waters, 
Miss King, and Miss Peacock are delighted with their 
beautiful new Susan B. Wilson Girls' School. Mrs. 
Gaither is busy with her work in the Bible Woman's 
School and with the superintendence of the new 
Hayes-Wilkins building, which is in course of erection. 
I greatly enjoyed my visit to Sungkiang, and was 
much pleased with the outlook of the work there. 
We had planned to leave in the afternoon on the 
house boat for Shanghai, to be rowed by the oars- 
men ; but Dr. Fearn reported that a work train would 
leave about two o'clock for Shanghai, and that he 
had secured permission for our traveling on it. We 
hurried to the station, but found that the train was 

110 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

not going, but that a hand car would take a civil en- 
gineer to Shanghai, and that we could go along. We 
went — four hours, twenty-five miles, cold, damp, 
home. All was well. 

Ill 



CHAPTER X. 
The Chinese in Life and Customs. 

THE American's ignorance of China brings no 
blush to his cheek nor twinge to his conscience. 
He may know that the modern Chinaman can boast 
of a history that antedates Babylon, Nineveh, Egypt, 
and Israel ; yet that history, as a rule, makes no ap- 
peal to him. The names of emperors and dynasties, 
generals, statesmen, and literary celebrities, cities, riv- 
ers, and provinces have no place in his mind, and he 
thinks of them as unpronounceable and as not meant 
to be remembered by him. So China and the Chinese 
do not take hold on the A.merican mind, and conse- 
quently not greatly on the American sympathy. The 
laundryman and the coolie on the Pacific Coast fur- 
nish to most Americans their conception of the great 
people of the Orient. The United States has forty- 
six States and some Territories, diflfering in size, prod- 
ucts, climate, and inhabitants. China has eighteen 
States or Provinces in China proper, three States in 
Manchuria, and also Mongolia and Tibet. The eight- 
teen States vary in size from 36,670 square miles to 
216,480 square miles, and in population from 5,142,- 
000 to 69,000,000. The whole population of the Unit- 
ed States could be put in Texas, and the population 
would be no more dense than that of Szechuen, the 
largest Province of China. China proper has an area 
of 1,532,420 square miles and a population of 407,- 
331,000 people. A native of China proper only is 

112 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

called a Chinese. When it is remembered that the 
railroad is still limited to a thousand miles, that travel 
on the great rivers by steamer will reach only a small 
territory, that travel by canals must necessarily be 
slow, and that there are no public roads in the em- 
pire, one can readily see that several months would 
be required to reach any very large part of this in- 
teresting country. Notwithstanding certain restric- 
tions to communication between different parts of the 
empire, the Chinese may be said to be a homogeneous 
people. The habits of to-day were in large measure 
the habits of these people two thousand years ago. 
The fact is, Chinese history is uninteresting because 
it is not a record of progress or regress. The wars 
and conquests may give the people new rulers ; but 
the conquerors have always been assimilated by the 
conquered, arid China remains the same. Any radical 
changes made in the customs of life or government 
would be a gross impeachment of the revered ances- 
try. So when any section of China is thoroughly 
studied, a very good idea of the whole people and 
their habits of life may be obtained. However, that 
does not mean that one may get a full understanding 
of the Chinaman. The Chinaman is understood fully 
only by himself, and there is some doubt as to his 
ability in that direction. 

Captain Brinkley, the distinguished editor of the 
Japan Mail at Yokohama, has said: "No other nation 
with which the world is acquainted has been so con- 
stantly true to itself; no other nation has preserved 
its type so unaltered; no other nation has developed a 
civilization so completely independent of any extra- 
neous influences; no other nation has elaborated its 
§ 113 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

own idea in such absolute segregation from alien 
thoughts ; no other nation has preserved the long 
stream of its literature so entirely free from foreign 
al^uents; no other nation has ever reached a moral 
and national elevation comparatively so high above 
the heads of contemporary states." The Chinese have 
always divided the universe into two parts : the heaven 
above, and China, or all under heaven. The Emperor 
has always been the son of heaven. The contempt for 
foreigners which the Chinese have manifested and 
which they manifest yet in many quarters — for for- 
eigners are only tolerated and never welcomed — is due 
to their conceit as to their own position in the uni- 
verse. To admit foreigners to any consideration was 
indeed a grievous concession for these Celestials. 
When General Gordon defeated the Taiping rebels 
at Changchow and Soochow after they had been emi- 
nently successful against the Chinese, Li Hung Chang 
realized for the first time that foreigners had some 
elements of superiority. The hardest lesson which the 
Chinese have been compelled to learn is the quality 
of the foreigner in some things and even his supe- 
riority in certain other things. 

The Chinese do not want to take lessons from the 
foreigner, and their cry to-day is : "China for the Chi- 
nese !" China may thirst for Western learning, but 
she desires to drink it from her own fountains. She 
is willing to build railroads and inaugurate modern 
enterprises ; but she prefers to have them owned, con- 
trolled, and run entirely by Chinese. The concessions 
which have been made to British, American, or Ger- 
man companies have been or are being bought back, 
so that the foreigner may not have any interest in her 
' 114 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

great commercial enterprises. The same spirit is ex- 
hibited in a degree toward the Christianity which for- 
eigners are trying to propagate. There is no serious 
objection to Christianity in itself; but the Chinese re- 
gard it as a foreigner's religion, and they are inclined 
to cling to the religion of their own country. The Box- 
er movement was not aimed at Christianity except so 
far as it was the religion of the foreigner. There is 
no country in the world to-day that would be more 
open to Christianity than China if the foreign feature 
could be eliminated. But on account of this age-long 
sentiment against foreigners, the greatest obstacle to 
the progress of Christianity in the Celestial Empire 
is the fact that its propagators must be foreigners 
until a native ministry is produced. The benefit of 
such an institution as the International Institute, 
founded and directed by Dr. Gilbert Reid, whose pri- 
mary object is the promotion of fellowship between 
foreigners and high-class Chinese, can be readily seen. 
This condition will explain the wonderful work which 
has been done by Dr. Young J. Allen, Dr. Timothy 
Richard, and their associates in their Society for the 
Diffusion of Knowledge. The Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association is also accomplishing inestimable good 
by relating the young men of China with the young 
men of other nations. Anything that will break down 
the sentiment against foreigners will clear the way for 
Christianity and at the same time open the door for 
the learning of the present day. 

China is suffering greatly from misrule. The gov- 
ernment is defective in very much, and bad in its 
whole system and administration. From a financial 
standpoint it is the greatest system of graft which the 

115 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

world has ever known. The head of the government 
is the Emperor, who is the appointee of his prede- 
cessor. Every Emperor is apt to appoint his son, but 
he may appoint some one else. All places in the em- 
pire are at his disposal. Viceroys are appointed over 
certain territories which may comprise one, two, or 
three provinces. There are seven or eight viceroy- 
alties in the empire. Over each of the provinces is 
appointed a governor. Over a circuit in a province 
is placed a taotai. The circuit is composed of two, 
three, or four prefectures, and the prefectures are 
made up of magistracies. The magistrate, the prefect, 
the taotai, the governor, and the viceroy make up the 
five grades of appointments. There are thirteen hun- 
dred magisterial districts, one hundred and eighty pre- 
fectures, eighty circuits, eighteen provinces. The 
magistrate of a district is invested with both criminal 
and civil functions ; he is the keeper of prisons, the 
overseer of public roads, the registrar of land, the 
famine commissioner, and the officer of education. 
No official could perform duties so numerous and so 
varied without assistants, and so he has a large staff; 
but he is held responsible for the performance of all 
duties. In criminal cases the magistrate is the court 
and the jury, as well as the prosecutor. If the accused 
can show sufficient financial reasons why he should 
not be severely dealt with, the magistrate dismisses 
the case ; but if no finances are forthcoming, the mag- 
istrate hears the accusations and passes sentence. In 
case of criminal ofifense the prisoner is made to sub- 
mit to excruciating tortures until he confesses his 
guilt, and then he is taken out and beheaded. In civil 
suits the magistrate hears one side and receives what 

:i6 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

is given, and then hears the other and receives again. 
He then hears the first side and receives, and then 
hears the second side and receives. His decision is 
usually reserved until, in the language of the auc- 
tioneer, "they are all done," and he hands down his 
decision much as does the auctioneer. Cases may be 
appealed to the prefect and retried. He, however, 
seldom renders any decisions, but shifts such duties 
to the first assistant department magistrate. 

The administration of the central government is in- 
trusted to two councils, the Grand Secretariat and the 
Grand Council. The first has four members, two Man- 
chus and two Chinese, with one Manchu and one 
Chinese secretary. As aids there are ten learned men 
from Hanlin College, with about two hundred secre- 
taries. The members of the Grand Secretariat sub- 
mit to the Emperor all papers relating to the affairs 
of the empire, keep the seals used by the departments, 
and are the officials whom the Emperor most frequent- 
ly consults and in whom he chiefly confides. They 
deliberate on the affairs of State, declare the imperial 
will, and aid the Emperor in governing his subjects. 
The Grand Council has five members and about sixty 
secretaries. They are chosen from the members of 
the Grand Secretariat, the presidents of boards, and 
the principal officers of all the courts in the city. Be- 
fore this body the heads of departments appear when 
the Emperor is to be consulted. It has really super- 
seded the older body in business importance. Under 
the two councils there are six administrative boards 
— the Civil Board, Board of Revenue, Board of Rites, 
Board of War, Board of Punishment, Board of Pub- 
lic Works. The Civil Board has jurisdiction over the 

117 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

official class — or mandarins, as they are called — ap- 
pointing and discharging them, regulating their duties, 
pay, promotion, the assignment of work, and the 
granting of leave. The Board of Revenue collects the 
money from the provinces and selects the Manchu 
women who are eligible for the imperial harem. The 
Board of Rites has the supervision of the ceremonial 
and ritual observances which form the distinguishing 
feature of the national character. The ceremony for 
feast days, the cut of a court jacket, the etiquette 
relating to subjects of a military or civil character 
are all described in the fourteen volumes which form 
the statutory law of the board. No act or omission 
will bring a Chinese official under censure so quickly 
as carelessness in official ceremonv. The Board of 
War should be among the first in importance, but the 
empire has done very little in preparing for defense 
against external foes. The board appears to be pow- 
erless to organize an effective army. This is due in 
large measure to the peculiar autonomy of the prov- 
inces, each having its own military organization, 
which it supports and controls according to the will 
of its own officials. There is no uniform system. 
There is an absence of cooperation. In the China- 
Japan War China expended large sums on the army 
and navy; but they were wholly ineft'ectual, not be- 
cause military material was wanting in the Chinese 
character, but because there was no organization, no 
rall3dng point in the military system, no one directing 
mind, no confidence of the soldier in his superior 
officers. China must be unified before she can ever 
defend herself against any attacking force ; and that 
means that a new form of central government must 

118 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

take the place of the present incompetent, unsavory, 
despoiHng system. 

The Board of Punishment might be called a court 
of appeals. It works all changes in the written law 
and the supplementary enactments, prepares all new 
editions of the penal code, regulates prisons, and col- 
lects fines on jailers and others. The duties of the 
Board of Public Works are miscellaneous, but they 
are not well discharged. No city in the world is in 
a worse sanitary condition than Peking, where the 
board sits. It is easy to see in traveling that no at- 
tention is given to the repair of the highways by 
land and water. The Grand Canal, the greatest mon- 
ument of Chinese skill and industry, has been neg- 
lected to the extent of greatly impairing its useful- 
ness. The masonry has fallen away, and the granite 
blocks have been boated away and sold. The roads, 
bridges, and canals have been shamefully neglected 
during the two hundred and fifty years of the reign 
of the Manchurian dynasty. The whole empire suf- 
fers through the idea that each province is an inde- 
pendent tinit. The central government refuses to in- 
terfere, except when in a critical mood, with the edu- 
cational, fiscal, penal, judicial work, or any piiblic 
improvements in a province. As the provincial offi- 
cials are concerned only for themselves, the public 
works are all entirely neglected. Bridges, roads, and 
such works are private and depend entirely on the 
liberality of some public-spirited citizen. 

When the viceroy wants money, he makes demands 
of the governors, the governors make demands of 
their taotais, the taotais of the prefects, the prefects 
of the magistrates, and the magistrates of the head 

119 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

men of the villages and any citizens whom they may 
desire to fleece. The village is often composed of 
one family, but usually of a few families. The head 
man is responsible for what takes place in the village. 
If a criminal outrage is perpetrated in the village, the 
whole village is responsible and must suffer for the 
offense unless the malefactor is produced. The rea- 
son that American authorities have had trouble in 
finding criminals among the Chinese on the Pacific 
Coast is that they have not used the Chinese method 
of finding them. The magistrate usually asks for 
what money he wants or the equivalent in produce, 
and usually gets it; for in case the head man fails to 
produce the amount that is desired, he loses his posi- 
tion or is accused criminally and made to suffer. 
Sometimes the magistrate finds a rich man who he 
thinks should divide money with him, and levies on 
him for what he wants. In case the rich man objects 
seriously, he is accused of some criminal offense, tried, 
and brought to punishment. As the magistrate is 
court, jury, and prosecutor, he is fully able to handle 
any case. Many rich Chinese are moving into Shang- 
hai to-day to get protection from these magistrates. 
The Chinese seldom make any show of their wealth 
for fear the magistrates will make exorbitant demands. 
A'Vhen the prefect sees that the magistrate is making 
money too fast, he squeezes the magistrate and gets 
a good sum. The taotai keeps his eye on the prefect, 
and in due time asks for funds ; and the governor is 
awake while the money is being passed, while the 
viceroy seldom suffers from a diminished treasury. 
, A Chinese gentleman told me of a general who was 
supposed to have a certain number of soldiers when 

120 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

he had less than one-twentieth of that number. The 
general was paid the money for the keep of the entire 
number, but he put nineteen-twentieths of it in his 
own purse. In Changchow a prefect built a fine school 
building at a cost of $130,000, with accommodations 
for one thousand pupils. He was removed, and his 
successor made no provision for carrying on the school. 
There are always opportunities for a "squeeze" in 
putting up a building, but very little in carrying on 
a school. Schools are almost impossible under such 
a system of government. These officials, whose whole 
thought is how to get money and who are moved after 
very short terms to other districts, will not do much to 
build up a school system, A school depends wholly 
on the whim of the man in office for its support, and 
it may be terminated abruptly at any time. A govern- 
ment that depends on such a system is almost helpless 
in its efforts to build up a great educational system. 

The "squeeze" is one thing to be expected in all 
walks of life. The cook in the kitchen buys all the 
food for the family and then charges the family prices 
that will allow his commission. If the man or woman 
of the house does the buying, nothing is saved, as the 
cook can always buy at cheaper rates ; and, besides, 
the merchant knows that the cook will in due time 
appear and demand his commission on all that comes 
to the kitchen in which he works. The laborer always 
wants something more than the regular tariff. The 
Chinese cannot believe that missionaries are doing all 
their work for them because they love them. They 
think the "squeeze" will come in somewhere. So they 
often report that the missionaries are kidnaping chil- 
dren or arranging for some raid of the foreigner. 

121 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

In China everybody "squeezes" somebody, and the 
man who gets the most money is the greatest win- 
ner in Hfe's game. 

The great diflference between the progress of Japan 
and that of China may be explained by the fact that 
Japan has a mighty central government and every cit- 
izen is a patriot, while the Chinese do not love their 
government, and they have no interest in the Em- 
peror, whom they regard as a foreigner, or any of 
his appointed officials. They know them only as tax- 
gatherers. No great reforms can be brought about 
except through the officials, and men who have to ad- 
minister through a corrupt and corrupting system can 
hardly be expected to be great leaders in public re- 
forms. A system of education that would eventually 
bring sufficient enlightenment to the people to make 
them see the present corruptions will not be strongly 
supported by officials that seek to prevent their own 
overthrow. To be sure, there are some officials who 
exhibit much virtue and public spirit ; but they are 
greatly in the minority, and all they inaugurate for the 
public good may be completely destroyed by a corrupt- 
ed successor. So China is in the clutches of a bad 
government, and nothing short of a revolution will 
bring relief. Is a revolution in sight? Some steps 
have been taken which indicate progress, but the on- 
ward march is not rapid. A leaven has been intro- 
duced, and it is to be hoped that a new China is in 
the forming. 

I saw in Nanking the old examination halls with 
their 23,000 booths, now deserted. As many as 25,000 
candidates for degrees or certificates that are neces- 
sar}^ for official appointment were examined in Nan- 

122 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

king at one time. The examinations dealt almost en- 
tirely with quotations from the Chinese classics, the 
beauty of the character writing, and with the elegance 
of a literary composition. It frequently happened that 
a young man's teacher would enter a booth and pass 
the examination for him, signing his name. Degrees 
were bought outright. But the old regime has been 
done away, and the examinations are held in Peking 
when they are held at all. The old system was seen 
to be worthless. I asked Dr. Timothy Richards, Dr. 
Reid, and others what had been substituted for the 
old examinations, and they answered promptly : "Noth- 
ing." The old system was judged inadequate, and 
the government has been incompetent to produce in- 
stitutions that will give what is wanted. Young men 
must be sent by the government to Japan, America, 
and Europe. The mission schools have accomplished 
much, but they cannot meet the demand in an empire 
of 400,000,000 people. China once had 15,000 stu- 
dents in the schools in Japan; but she does not like 
Japan, and the boycott which she instituted on account 
of the Tatsu Maru incident led to her recalling many 
of her students from Japan. She does not like to 
send her young men to America on account of the 
treatment which the Chinese have received in the en- 
forcement of our disgraceful exclusion laws, which 
were made in answer to the demands of the labor 
unions of California. We might to-day be molding 
the leaders of China had we been more far-sighted. 
American interests in the Orient can be best furthered 
by America showing a more friendly spirit toward the 
Chinese than she has shown before, and in that way 
win back the student body that would be glad to come 

123 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

to our institutions. China needs help in educating her 
leaders, and America needs help in furthering her 
commercial interests in the East. It must not be un- 
derstood that China has no schools. She has one uni- 
versity, eighteen high schools, 184 middle schools, and 
3,000 to 5,000 primary schools ; but what are these 
with a population of more than 400,000,000 ? The edu- 
cational system is modeled after the Japanese, but it 
has no such efficiency as the system in Japan. There 
are not teachers enough for the schools that exist. 
There is a great opening in China for foreign teachers 
who are willing to give themselves to the great work 
of educating this great people. 

At Soochow, through the kindness of Dr. and Mrs. 
W. H. Park, I had the privilege of visiting the home 
of a wealthy Chinese in company with other friends. 
We went in sedan chairs. The coolies bore us along 
a narrow street, some twelve or fourteen feet wide, 
with walls on either side about nine feet high. Sud- 
denly they stopped and turned through a doorway in 
the wall, across the first court, and let down the chairs 
in a reception hall. Servants met us and bore in our 
cards. We passed through a doorway into a passage- 
way, and after walking about thirty feet we were met 
by Mr. Yang, his wife, his son, and other members 
of his family. There are forty persons in his house- 
hold and two hundred rooms in his house. There was 
no handshaking, as the Chinese do not shake hands; 
but there was very much bowing, and in the bow the 
hands were held together just as if they were cold 
and efforts were made to warm them, and they were 
brought up near the level of the upper chest or, in 
case of extreme politeness, to the level of the face. 

124 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

This multimillionaire, the controller of the pearl fish- 
eries in Ceylon, and his sweet-faced wife received us 
di^ssed in plain clothes. The Chinese never don fine 
clothes when receiving for fear they would be better 
dressed than their guests — a bit of modesty that might 
become some American hosts and hostesses. We were 
shown into a court in which there were a fountain, 
some flowers, and a cliff made with subterranean pas- 
sages. We passed then into a reception room, which 
was decorated with Chinese drawings, some elegantly 
carved wood, a large number of beautiful marble slabs, 
and the usual number of reception chairs. From this 
room we went out into another court in which there 
were beautiful pots of flowers and an elaborate cement 
cliff with intricate passages. All the courts and the 
floors of the reception rooms were covered with the 
dark brick with which the houses are built. The 
houses of China for the most part have only brick 
floors. After the court we went into another recep- 
tion room with large pewter lanterns, the most ex- 
quisitely carved pieces of wood, and many Chinese 
decorations. Here we were served with tea. The 
cups had no handles, and they had covers that re- 
sembled saucers, except that they were small enough 
to fit into the cup. These covers keep the tea warm. 
When drinking the tea, one presses down the side 
of the cover so as to let the tea come where it may 
be sipped. After the tea we were shown across a 
court into a small reception room which was deco- 
rated in white (the color for mourning) and in which 
there was a small altar. This was in honor of Mr. 
Yang's mother, who died a few months ago. We 
were shown into Mr. Yang's bedroom, also into Mrs, 

125 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Yang's bedroom, and into the private boudoir which 
adjoins each room. The beds are elaborate affairs. 
They are very much hke the elaborate top beds of 
the colonial days except that they are closed in on 
three sides and beautifully draped curtains hang at 
the side where the entrance is made. The apartments 
of the various members of the large family are in 
the different parts of this great two-story house, and 
they are kept according to the wish of the occupants. 
A son, when he marries, does not set up a house of 
his own, but he lives in his father's house. The wife, 
the concubines, the children of all, the famiilies of all 
live under one roof, and the father — or in case of his 
death his eldest son — is head of the entire household. 
Often, in the country, a whole village has in it only 
one family, and the head of the family is head of the 
village. It is the law and order of the family which 
has kept China in a compact state during all the 
changes which have come in the national govern- 
ment. 

The day before I left Shanghai I had the privilege 
of attending a wedding in company with my wife and 
Rev. and Mrs. J. W. Cline. The wedding was to take 
place at five o'clock. We arrived a little past that 
time, but the wedding had not taken place. Rev. J. 
B. Fearn, the presiding elder, was present to offi- 
ciate. The brother of the groom and his wife and his 
mother are Christians. We were cordially received 
and given the seats of honor in the reception room. 
The groom was dressed in the gaudy garments of an 
official which he had rented for the occasion, follow- 
ing the custom of all bridegrooms. The bride had 
been sent for, but she had not come. While we waited 

126 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

we were shown the bridal chamber with its beautiful 
bed, its full quota of house and kitchen furnishings, 
and various fruits and candies, with some beautiful 
wedding gifts. We waited an hour, but the bride did 
not come. We were shown the large book with red 
pages, on which were written in Chinese the names of 
all the gifts which the groom's family had made to 
the couple and to the bride. A bookkeeper was kept 
busy in an adjoining room adjusting all accounts. 
"The bride is coming!" We waited. The announce- 
ment was made several times, but about seven o'clock 
she came — that is, she was brought .in on an elabo- 
rately decorated sedan bridal chair, borne on the shoul- 
ders of four men. A half dozen large Chinese lan- 
terns on poles were carried in front of the bridal chair, 
while a company of a dozen or more men were in at- 
tendance, piping, ringing bells, and making all the 
noise possible. The arrival of the bride was an- 
nounced by the explosion of several packs of fire- 
crackers. The heavy chair, with its precious contents, 
was borne into the reception room. The groom was 
brought and stationed before the minister. Five wom- 
en servants accompanied the bride to see that she 
was properly cared for in the ceremonies. Two of 
them lifted the curtain of the chair sufficiently to 
adjust the bride's headgear, and then threw back the 
curtain and assisted the bride to step out. She stood 
before the minister and beside the man, whom she 
had never seen and by whom she had never been seen, 
to whom she was to be married. A heavy red veil 
covered her face, through v/hich she could not see or 
be seen, and gaudy garments enveloped her body. 
The ceremony was read in Chinese. The servants as- 

127 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sisted the bride to the bridal chamber. Her veil 
would not allow her to see, and her bound feet would 
not allow her to walk up the steep stairs unaided. 
The groom followed the bride, and when they reached 
the chamber they sat on the side of the bed and 
looked toward each other for a few minutes. Then 
the groom came below. The servants changed the 
bride's hats, or rather helmets, which required much 
time, as they virtually made the hat by using pearl 
pins. We went in to the Chinese feast, consisting of 
shark fins, bird's-nest soup, pigeon eggs, and many 
meats. I was very, very polite, and ate nothing. We 
went below to see the tricks of a juggler who always 
performs at weddings. The room was crowded with 
people from the street. After we left, the bride was 
borne back to her parents' home, and at two o'clock 
in the morning she returned to her husband's home. 
She will live in her husband's home one month, and 
then she will go to her parental home for a month, 
when she will return to her husband's home to stay. 

The marriage is more of a financial matter even 
than it is in certain families in New York where counts 
are bought and millionaires are sold. Every man's 
wife in China is bought for him. The man must get 
married and have sons, or else there will be no one 
to burn paper at his grave, and that will be an eternal 
disaster. The "go-between," or matchmaker, is em- 
ployed to find a suitable wife for a man's son. Nego- 
tiations are entered into, and if the proposals are sat- 
isfactory the proper present in money is taken from 
the man with the son to the man with the daughter. 
In due time other presents of money are sent. When 
the young man's family is ready for the marriage, the 

128 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

time for the marriage is set. The bridegroom's fam- 
ily sends the bride her trousseau. All the household 
furnishings are provided. On the day appointed the 
bride is sent for, and frequently while the guests are 
assembled in the groom's house the bride's family 
make other demands for money before they will let 
her go. So it frequently happens that the marriage 
of a son will involve himself and his family in debt 
which is not removed for many years. One of our 
missionaries tells of a man who cried out at the funeral 
of his wife : "It will just break me up to have to get 
another wife !" But when a man gets a wife, she is 
his, or rather his family's. She calls his mother "moth- 
er," and serves her as a slave. She is virtually dead 
to her own family. She loses her name, and is known 
only as the wife of her husband. Her highest joy is 
to be the mother of sons. In case she is childless, she 
adopts a son. She will always be her husband's legit- 
imate wife, although he may choose for himself one or 
more concubines whose children are known as her 
children. When her husband goes from home on 
business — as often happens — she stays at home while 
he takes with him a concubine. The wife can never 
be dethroned. If both husband and wife desire to 
dissolve marriage on account of incompatibility of 
temper, a divorce may be secured. The divorce may 
take place if the wife beats the husband, -if the mar- 
riage contract contains false statements, or if the wife 
has one of the seven faults (barrenness, sensuality, 
want of filial piety toward the husband's parents, 
loquacity, thievishness, jealousy, and distrust) or an 
incurable disease. But none of the seven faults will 
justify a divorce if the wife has mourned three years 
9 129 



ETCHINGS' OF THE EAST 

for her husband's parents, if his family has become 
rich since their marriage, or if the wife has no parents 
living to receive her back again. The widow who 
never marries is highly honored, and many beautiful 
monuments are erected in China to the women who 
did not marry the second time. 

The Chinese are bound down socially and reli- 
giously by their ancestor worship. The first thing that 
a bride is asked to do is to worship before the an- 
cestral tablets. In the temples when the priests are 
conducting worship bowls of food of all kinds are put 
on the altar for the departed spirits, and paper cov- 
ered with a sort of material that looks like tin foil 
is burned that the dead may have currency to pay 
their bills. The people believe that the dead remain 
in this world haunting their tombs and their former 
homes and sharing invisibly in the life of their living 
descendants. All the dead become gods in the sense 
of acquiring supernatural power, but they retain the 
characters which distinguished them during life. The 
happiness of the dead depends upon the respectful 
service rendered them by the living, and the happi- 
ness of the living depends upon the fulfillment of 
pious duty to the dead. Every season, good or evil, 
the harvests plentiful or scant, floods, tempests, earth- 
quake, or tidal waves are the work of the dead. All 
human actions, good or bad, are controlled by the 
dead. The whole family life is involved by these be- 
liefs. The Chinese fear beheading because they be- 
lieve that they would be compelled to be headless in 
the next world. Funerals are often so expensive as 
to involve the family in a debt for years to come. 
A man may live a worthless life, but he must have 

130 




MONUMENT TO A WIDOW. 




SMALL TEMPLE WITH TYPICAL ROOF. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

full honors at his funeral or else he will bring trouble 
to the family. Ancestor worship, with its mass of 
superstitions, is the great obstacle to the progress of 
Christianity among the Chinese. Superstition can be 
banished only by the enlightenment that comes with 
education and the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus 
Christ. Confucianism can bring no relief, as it was 
out of its teachings that ancestor worship sprang. 
Taoism is a kind of nature worship which easily leads 
to a belief in demonology. Buddhism can help very 
little with its belief in the transmigration of souls. 
Mohammedanism has 30,000,000 adherents, but its 
life of sensuality and bloodshed can give very little 
comfort to peace-loving Chinese. China needs edu- 
cation and Christianity. Education may help to drive 
away her darkness, but only Christianity can bring 
the sun that causes life to appear. The school, the 
hospital, the Church are the three institutions that 
China needs to-day. 

There are many characteristics of the Chinese which 
are of great interest to Anglo-Saxons. The Chinese 
are polite to the letter, economical in the extreme, and 
industrious beyond one's expectation. They do not 
work fast. They have an utter disregard of time, and 
seldom keep an appointment on time. They exhibit 
an absence of nerves, and seem to be indifferent to 
comfort or convenience. They possess strong phys- 
ical vitality. They are patient and persevering, and 
are usually content and cheerful. They are gamblers 
by nature, or at least of long training. The lower 
classes are noted for their dishonesty. One man who 
has lived many years in the country said that articles 
that could be easily borne away had to be removed 

131 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

from the guest chamber. There is no danger so long 
as the "face" is involved; but when there is no prob- 
ability of detection, honesty is not considered essen- 
tial. In transactions the Chinese possess a fine talent 
of misunderstanding, while indirection is a species of 
brilliancy. Sincerity is not always detected. Quar- 
rels in the streets are quite common, and regardless 
of sex. Fights are not frequent, although the occa- 
sional pull of the queue adds interest to the broils. A 
blow in the face would be an insult which could scarce- 
ly be wiped out. In a mass of people reared in igno- 
rance mutual suspicion would be expected. There 
seems to be a total absence of all public spirit. The 
filth of the street and the dilapidation of public build- 
ings cause no one any concern. That the streets are 
filled with beggars is looked upon as natural. No 
effort is made to give a city pure water. The boiling 
of the water in the tea has been the salvation of the 
Chinese. The Chinaman asks only to be let alone. 
The ways of his ancestors suit him. He is respectful 
of law, and he honors letters. He is the descendant 
of a great people, and he has perpetuated an empire 
that was in full glory before the foundations of Rome 
were laid or the great history of Greece was produced. 
He possesses stability and has the capacity for great 
service in the world. His country has served the un- 
numbered millions for millenniums, and yet its vast 
mineral deposits have never been touched. He has be- 
lieved that the great dragon possessed the interior of 
the earth, and he has been afraid to molest him; but 
he has begun to realize that the dragon will move if 
the wealth that is hidden in the earth is Avanted. But a 
new day for the Chinaman has dawned. 

132 



CHAPTER XI. 

Commerce and Christianity in China. 

LESS than a dozen years ago there were no news- 
papers in China excepting the Peking Gazette, 
no telephones and no telegraphs except those between 
some treaty ports which foreigners had erected. There 
are now in the empire about two hundred newspapers, 
telephones in several cities and some long-distance 
lines, and a telegraph system which is operated under 
the Post Office Department. The postal system is of 
recent origin, and has been established under the direc- 
tion of Sir Robert Hart, the British Supervisor of 
Customs and until recently the Inspector General of 
the mail system of China. The only way of com- 
munication which the Chinese had was by miessengers, 
and they were not employed to any great extent. The 
people did not know that there was a world outside 
of China, and they were not concerned to know what 
was going on in their own country. When the war 
was on between China and Japan, some natives asked 
a missionary what and where the rebellion was. Re- 
bellions are of constant occurrence in all the provinces, 
and so many people of the empire never knew that 
their country had ever been in deadly conflict with a 
foreign power. Missionaries who wear the native 
garb are sometimes asked from what province they 
have come. The great masses of the more than four 
hundred millions of Chinese are totally ignorant of 
everything outside of their own local communities. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

China has no common language. Her written lan- 
guage, Wenli, is never spoken, and the spoken dialects 
are not written. The native of Soochow cannot come 
fifty miles to Shanghai and understand his fellow- 
countrymen. Almost every city has its dialect. This 
is a great barrier to all mission work, and really to 
all progress in China. The coming of railroads and 
the circulation of newspapers printed in the most wide- 
ly used vernacular will help to give China a language. 
A modified Mandarin will likely, in the course of a 
few scores of years, become the language for a greater 
part of the empire. The scholars of China will per- 
form a tremendous public service by bringing the peo- 
ple of the various provinces to the use of a common 
tongue in speech and in print. 

The only piece of money which I found was taken 
at its face value was the Mexican dollar. Shanghai 
dollars could not be used in Nanking, nor Nanking 
dollars in Soochow. In having a Mexican dollar 
changed into small coin, I received eleven ten-cent 
pieces. At the post office I offered forty cents in coins 
and received only thirty-two cents in stamps. China 
has no currency, and each city has its own local money. 
The money market fluctuates daily. For each Amer- 
ican dollar I received two dollars and twenty cents in 
Shanghai. A month before I reached Shanghai Amer- 
ican dollars were worth only two dollars local cur- 
rency, while three months before they were worth only 
one dollar and seventy-five cents. The traveler never 
knows what his money is worth, and he is forever in 
the clutches of a money changer. When a silver dol- 
lar falls below the price of the silver that is in it, the 
Chinese banks buy the dollars and melt them into sil- 

134 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ver bullion. In one bank I found large bars of silver 
bullion, or ingots, which are used as currency. In 
parts of Mongolia silver does not find acceptance, but 
payments are made in brick tea, the required quantity 
being broken off the brick. Small silk handkerchiefs 
are another popular form of currency, and a store of 
them will carry a traveler farther than any number of 
Mexican dollars. China is in great need of common 
currency, but it will be hardly possible so long as the 
central government remains weak and the provinces 
have a practically independent government. 

The first national bank of China owes its origin to 
an imperial edict which was issued just ten years ago. 
There is now an imperial bank at Shanghai, one at 
Tien-tsin, and one at Hankow. But as the central 
government has not the confidence of the native mer- 
chants, the imperial bank cannot be a rival to the 
foreign banks that are doing business in China. These 
foreign banks, which may be found at all the treaty 
ports, declare large dividends. The native banks are 
local enterprises for the facility of merchants and 
traders, and they receive deposits for which they pay 
from five to eight per cent per annum. The shortest 
period of a deposit is six months. The depositor is 
given an interest book, and he may draw his interest 
by the month or by the quarter. These banks some- 
times issue a limited amount of notes, but these would 
have no wide circulation unless the bank has a good 
standing. They do not issue more than they can read- 
ily redeem in silver coin or copper cash, as a rival 
house or an evil-minded person might spread a rumor 
as to their stability and thereby cause a rush. There 
is no limit to their financial responsibility for the bank, 

135 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

as the Chinese think that to Hmit their capital or lia- 
bilities would destroy their financial standing. The 
status of a bank is ascertained by watchers, who are 
employed by banks and commercial houses, and whose 
sole business is to make daily visits to the banks and 
closely observe their dealings and financial conditions. 
The banks loan money at a high rate, and they make 
money in discounting bills and in their dealings in 
bills of exchange. They have no palatial banking 
houses and no iron vaults, as they keep on hand very 
little money. Loans are not made on real estate ex- 
cept in the foreign settlements, such as Hongkong, 
Shanghai, and Tien-tsin. In some provinces the bank- 
ers have large warehouses in which they stow grain, 
beeswax, medicinal herbs, and other stuff deposited 
as security by their customers. These banks make 
large profit also by handling silver. They buy from 
brokers whose business it is to purchase from shops 
and money changers silver dollars of a low standard 
or not passable at the full rate. These dollars are 
bought at a price far below the value of the silver in 
them, and they are melted, and "shoes" of silver are 
made. Mexican dollars that have been chopped or 
clipped or have no standard ring in them in this way 
furnish a good source of profit. When the foreign 
trade was concentrated in Canton, one bank made 
$100,000 in one year from this source alone. 

The banks of the Shansi Province enjoy a semi- 
governmental character in that the money due from 
the provinces to the central government passes through 
them. The Shansi bankers for a thousand years have 
been the most numerous and most influential in the 
empire. They form a kind of g-uild. and have very 

136 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



strict regulations regarding interest, speculating, and 
clearing house. They own for the most part the banks 
of exchange of the countr}^ One can travel over 
China with a letter of credit from one of these banks. 
The exchange banks do not loan money on land or 
houses, and the most of their loans are made to local 
banks, who loan to merchants on personal security. 

The Chinese have high regard for promptness in 
business. They are merchants by nature, and appre- 
ciate the fact that successful business demands order 
and respect for established custom. The foreigner 
likes to do business v/ith a Chinaman because his word 
is thoroughly reliable. He will stand by his contracts. 
Herein he differs from the Japanese, whose disregard 
of all commercial agreement is proverbial in the East. 
With the Japanese war has always been honorable, 
and the Samurai, the most honored class, have been 
fighters ; while merchandising has been considered a 
kind of piracy. With the Chinese war has been re- 
bellion and commerce the avocation of the most re- 
spectful classes. If political and military China were 
as well organized as commercial China, there would 
be some hope of progress in the great empire. While 
the 'central government is invertebrate, the commerce 
of the country is well organized and is directed b}^ 
expert and competent business men. China cannot 
contend in arms with a foreign foe, but through her 
guilds she can by means of the boycott drive the 
business interests of any foreign nation from her do- 
main. America has felt her boycott, and Japan has 
realized that the gim and the sword are not the 
only weapons of national defense. The guilds, or 
merchant unions, as they would be called in America, 

137 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

control very largely the business of the country. The 
guild houses are usually the most palatial buildings 
in a Chinese city. They contain not only a hall where 
the members meet, but also rooms set apart for the 
lodging of high officials when traveling and for schol- 
ars en route to the metropolitan examinations, and 
places also for theatrical performances. The officers 
of a guild are the general manager and a committee 
who are elected annually. The permanent secretary 
is a scholar of literary rank, and is paid a salary. It 
is necessary for the secretary to be a scholar of literary 
rank that he may have official standing and because 
the delegate of a guild has access to the official class. 
The membership of a guild is limited to thirty, and 
the junior members of a partnership are not allowed 
to attend the meetings. The revenue of the guild is 
derived from a self-imposed tax on commodities sold 
by the members. There is a monthly inspection of 
the books of every establishment connected with the 
guild. The inspection is made by clerks of various 
firms in rotation. In case of disagreement between 
members about money matters, they must submit the 
disputes to the guild for arbitration under penalty of 
expulsion. Regulations regarding the minutest de- 
tails — weights, measures, storage, recovery of stolen 
property, payments of bills — have been duly adopted. 
The combination reaches with its influence every trade 
interest that is common to its members. Its decisions 
are implicitly obeyed under the pain of a heavy pen- 
alty. The inner workings of the guilds are not gen- 
erally known, as they are not discussed in public. 
They exercise not only a domineering commercial au- 
thority, but they have a powerful influence by virtue 

138 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



of their compact organization on political, religious, 
and social questions. To incur the displeasure of a 
guild means religious and social isolation and com- 
mercial ruin. 

The Manchu dynasty is responsible for the policy 
of exclusion which is in practice throughout the em- 
pire, as well as for the continual antagonism to the 
introduction of foreign goods and foreign ideas. The 
Manchus gained their mastery of China through the 
name of trade expansion, and they fear that some for- 
eign nation may overrun them in the same way. The 
European as a trader is distrusted, and not without 
some reason if the actions of the early Portuguese and 
Dutch traders may be taken as criteria. Exclusion 
affects not only the foreign trader, but also the Chi- 
nese who come from other provinces or even pre- 
fectures. A Chinese will not undertake to start a new 
industry in a strange province until he conciliates local 
prejudices by interesting some natives of the district 
sufficiently in the enterprise to have them take some 
stock. Foreigners who wish to succeed in China must 
learn to maintain the local interest. With no local in- 
terest considered, the trader will soon find the local 
markets barred to his products and the prices of raw 
material and labor increased so as to make business 
impossible. There are unions among all classes. There 
is a uniformity in the prices prevailing throughout a 
town or district. The cost of commodities is the same 
in all classes of stores, as the prices are fixed by the 
local union. The combine may be new to Western 
civilization, but not to China. 

The Chinese merchant has three pay days, one of 
which is the Chinese New Year (about February i), 

139 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and the other two four months apart. Up-country 
merchants pass over one pay day. So the seller may 
have to wait four months and one day or eight months 
less one day for payment. Cash transactions are prac- 
tically unknown to Chinese merchants. Payments are 
often made in goods of native or local production plus 
a cash balance for the middlemen. Payment may be 
made in "shoes" of silver. The middleman, or the 
go-between, is very necessary where a people love bar- 
gaining as do the Chinese and will spend hours, days, 
weeks, and even months in the preliminaries of a con- 
tract. The go-between's occupation is that of seeking 
where the best bargains can be secured for him who 
wants to sell, as well as for him who wants to buy. 
He has numerous patrons, and he holds an important 
position in the trading world. Often he confines him- 
self to a particular line of goods and acquires an 
expert opinion. He is paid a commission on all trans- 
actions which he brings about. He wields a great 
power in developing or in crippling the trade of the 
merchants of China. 

The pawn shops of China are definite commercial 
undertakings, and are among the high classes of busi- 
ness with which a wealthy Chinese gentleman may be 
connected. They are recognized by the governments, 
central and provincial, and are taxed and registered. 
The owners cannot refuse to advance money to any 
amount on reliable security, generally sixty-five to 
seventy-five per cent of the value of such security be- 
ing the pawning limit. The security cannot be sold 
under eighteen months, and by mutual consent the 
time of redemption may be extended to three years. 
The pawn shop may lend on standing crops of rice, 

110 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

millet, tea, cotton, on land revenues, on house rentals, 
on shop accounts, fittings, merchandise, as well as on 
personal possessions, such as wearing apparel, per- 
sonal ornaments, or household goods. Only very 
wealthy men can be proprietors of pawn shops. Usual- 
ly they are at the same time bankers, large grain mer- 
chants, or large salt merchants. The government 
makes deposits with the pawn shops. A pawn office 
is one of the best places to get money changed, and 
one can safely travel on letters of credit issued by 
the pawn shops. These pawn shops usually have the 
finest and most imposing buildings in a Chinese city. 
They are largely patronized by all classes of people. 

The Chinese are unquestionably the business men of 
the East. They know how to do business, although 
their methods may be practically those of one thou- 
sand years ago. The foreigner may teach them some 
lessons, but he will find that when he deals with one 
man he deals with a vast army of men and any un- 
just dealing will eventually meet severe penalty. 
"Face" would compel the Chinese merchant to fulfill 
his contract, even to his ruin, as to lose "face" — 
which would happen should an agreement be broken 
— would involve his entire future and that of his fam- 
ily in the community in which he lives. The China- 
man may not always be an honest man, as it is well 
known that many of the people are very dishonest; 
but any contract that involves "face" will unquestion- 
ably be kept. The matter of "face" is that which 
makes the great difference between the merchants of 
China and those of Japan. The Chinese may not show 
the nervous enterprise of some other wonder-working 
people, yet they exhibit that solidity and commercial 

141 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

integrity which will make them the dependable people 
of the Orient for many years yet to come. 

Some sympathetic appreciation of the peoples of the 
Orient is absolutely essential to any fruitful labor 
among them and for them. The Anglo-Saxon differs 
from the Oriental as much as the Oriental differs from 
the Anglo-Saxon, but the Anglo-Saxon has put all the 
mysteriousness with the Oriental. He does not seem 
to realize that he is as far from being a mathemat- 
ically demonstrated proposition as is the brother in 
colors. The European and the American have made 
grievous blunders in their efforts to reach the Chi- 
nese, the Japanese, the Koreans, and the Hindoos be- 
cause of their lack of appreciation of the Oriental 
spirit. Because the Chinese have no flocks, no herds, 
no carriages, no pretty farmhouses, no meadows, no 
farms except the garden plots, no parks, no pleasure 
grounds, no trees in the yards would be no reason 
for thinking they have no ideas of beauty or home 
comforts. They may have no science, yet they have a 
great literature, a noble history, and a profound phi- 
losophy. Their religious ideas are rooted in their 
deepest convictions, and they have come to them 
through long centuries of worship and worthy think- 
ing. The orthodox Confucianist would consider it as 
arrogant an assumption to suppose that anything c®uld 
be added to his religious wisdom as a Christian would 
for one to claim that an appendix could be added to 
the New Testament. Missionaries are accustomed to 
allude to the material well-being and political ascend- 
ency which have come to their countries through 
Christianity. When one speaks of the power and 
wealth of the Christian nations, the Oriental only 

142 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

asks : "What has that to do with religion ?" He looks 
on Christianity as an instrument of depredation ; and 
since the people of the East have come to believe that 
commercial exploitation and conquest are the chief 
end of the Western governments, they cannot look 
upon the religion that gave them such a spirit and 
power with any degree of toleration. They prefer 
their rapturous and loving worship, their renunciation 
and self-surrender and comforting contemplation to 
any religion of self-assertion and national or racial 
aggrandizement. 

The benefactor of the Orient must be one who has 
first been a student of the customs, conditions, and 
spirit of the peoples. Too many missionaries have 
gone blindly into their work and proceeded as though 
they were altogether right in their habits of life and 
way of thinking, and that those to whom they were 
sent were altogether wrong. Narrow, provincial 
Christian bigots can never find any point of contact 
with narrow, provincial heathen. Men must proceed 
in all thinking from the known to the unknown; and 
unless Christian teachers can find some truth in the 
Oriental's religion, the Oriental will likely never find 
any truth in their Christianity. The approach to truth 
is different with different people, and the habits of a 
lifetime — yea, even of the life of a race — will make 
channels through which alone the members of that 
race can receive truth. The missionaries who have 
been able to open the way for Christian truth have 
been philosophers who understood the underlying prin- 
ciples of Eastern mental life and conduct. Many 
Western people never see in Christianity anything 
more than a round of ceremonies and ordinances be- 

143 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cause Christianity is Oriental in its origin and its 
whole spirit of worship is Oriental and their habit of 
life and thought is anything but Oriental. The reli- 
gious teacher who is sent to evangelize the Orient 
needs a knowledge of Oriental philosophy, Oriental 
religion, and the Oriental character more than an ac- 
quaintance with Greek roots and Hebrew consonants. 
The Church should furnish different equipment for her 
missionaries to that which she has usually given her 
pastors for the home land. The missionary may well 
study the political, social, and religious conditions of 
the country to which he goes, and the peculiar tem- 
perament of the people so far as their literature and 
philosophy exhibit their spirit. Buddhism, Confucian- 
ism, Taoism, Shintoism may be studied in the schools. 
In fact, a thorough course in comparative religion 
would be of the greatest value in any attempt to un- 
derstand the religious life of the people, and pastors 
at home as well as the missionaries would be more 
competent to propagate Christianity if they knew the 
real teachings of other religions. Buddhism and Con- 
fucianism cannot be judged any more from what one 
may see in the worship of ignorant people than Chris- 
tianity can be judged by the demonstration at a negro 
camp meeting. It is hardly fair to our missionaries 
to compel them to learn everything about the religion 
and habits of a people after they have reached the 
field. 

Missionaries in China and Japan are sometimes ac- 
cused of saying that the native preachers want to push 
them out. I do not believe that this sentiment is ex- 
pressed by many missionaries. Surely a missionary 
that understands the Oriental mind and Oriental phi- 

144 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

losophy and who is appreciative of what has been ac- 
compHshed by the people that he serves will never fail 
to have a place of influence in the countries where he 
is giving his life. When a missionary becomes dry, 
uninteresting, unappreciative, and economical with his 
energy, the chances are that he will become undesira- 
ble on the mission fields just as such a preacher be- 
comes unacceptable at home. Missionaries may lose 
or even lack the spiritual glow and the religious zeal 
that is necessary to great spiritual movement, and the 
Church may die on their hands. Religion that is sim- 
ply scholastic may have a very intellectual integrity 
and yet at the same time be uninspiring and nonpro- 
ductive. Missionaries who are deeply spiritual, thor- 
oughly consecrated, energetically active, and widely 
conversant with the Eastern mind and its thought will 
always be in demand. The Church has been fortunate 
in having many such laborers in its foreign fields. 

Christianity is making healthy progress in China 
and Japan. It is true that the number of communi- 
cants is not large, but the achievements of Christianity 
cannot be estimated by the membership of the Church- 
es. In China missionaries are at work in five hundred 
and sixty cities. The precautions which are observed 
in admitting members into the Churches, if observed 
in the United States, would cut down the number of 
accessions to the Churches until the Churches of Amer- 
ica would show a decrease every year. These precau- 
tions are necessary because of the political conditions. 
Men have sought membership in the Churches as a 
protection against unscrupulous officials. A mission- 
ary may make an appeal for a person who is accused 
of misdemeanor or crime to a higher official than the 
19 3-45 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

magistrate, and his appeal may be heard because of 
the fear of the foreign government of which the mis- 
sionary is a subject. The magistrate may lose "face" 
if the accused is released by a higher official. The 
Chinese have learned of the possibility of protection 
by virtue of being a member of the foreigner's Church, 
and many have united with the Church to secure this 
protection. So the missionaries have been compelled 
to act very slowly in the reception of members. The 
present membership of the Churches does not repre- 
sent the real strength of Christianity in the empire. 

The work of the medical missionary in China is not 
yet finished, as not many Chinese physicians have 
learned much medical science. It is very gratifying to 
know that a few men, some of whom had their train- 
ing in mission hospitals, are very skillful. In Japan 
the native physicians are as good as the foreign phy- 
sicians who would go out as missionaries, as in most 
cases only young, inexperienced men go as mission- 
aries. The school in China still has a great field, while 
in Japan the very fine educational system has made it 
necessary for mission schools to be of the first class 
or cease to exist. The greatest problem in both coun- 
tries is the call and equipment of native preachers. 
The greatest lack in both countries is that of evan- 
gelistic work, or what in America would be called the 
work of the ministry. The missionaries in Korea 
have always put the emphasis on preaching, and the 
wonderful fruits which are to-day being harvested 
have demonstrated the wisdom of such procedure. 
Missionaries of ever}'- denomination are quite ready 
to say that the need of all the fields is a larger evan- 
gelistic force. But as I said in a previous chapter, the 

146 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

only way to increase the evangelistic force is to in- 
crease the missionary force, as the schools and hos- 
pitals cannot spare any workers from their present 
corps. The schools are indispensable and must be 
strongly manned, but the Church must rally to the 
call of the field for more laborers in the evangelistic 
work. 

Christianity will not win China in a generation, and 
any extraordinary movement toward the acceptance of 
the Christian doctrine could scarcely be expected. The 
acceptance of Christianity must necessarily mean a 
great social and political regeneration in China. A re- 
ligion that would affect conduct and establish high eth- 
ical standards must begin with national as well as per- 
sonal regeneration. A government that maintains it- 
self by graft and upholds the whole system of the 
"squeeze" and that in no way frowns upon gambling 
and that has no conception of the sovereignty of the 
individual must feel the force of a powerful public 
opinion before it recognizes the principles of a Chris- 
tian nation. The great masses of the Chinese live in 
the darkness of frightful superstitions. Christianity 
could not be appreciated to any extent by such people 
until they become somewhat mentally enlightened. 
Christianity will never have a real chance in China 
until the government establishes and maintains a com- 
petent school system. Mission schools have accom- 
plished wonderful results, but they can never be nu- 
merous enough nor sufficiently equipped to meet the 
demands for education in such an empire. A mission 
school is a missionary agency; and when it fails to 
make converts to Christianity, it may be closed so far 
as the Church is concerned. To be sure, the institu- 

147 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tions of the Church in the non-Christian lands are 
humanitarian, yet their primary object is the conver- 
sion of the people to Christianity. With an incom- 
petent and corrupt government, with no educational 
system to reach even a small percentage of the people, 
with practically no humanitarian institutions, with no 
science of healing, with gross superstitions that are 
founded on a doctrine of demonology, with a fearful 
belief in ancestor worship permeating the whole na- 
tional life, with few means for spreading enlighten- 
ing information, and with a fanatical opposition to 
the foreigner, China offers many obstacles to the prog- 
ress of Christianity within her borders. But the 
"promises of God are sure," and the Christian's duty 
to send the missionary was never plainer than it is 
to-day. Knowledge of the difficulties should stir the 
Church to send large reenforcements. Marvelous 
achievements have already crowned the labors of the 
missionary. China will some day be ready to hear 
the message of the Christ. The Christian Church has 
the light for the world, and she should keep it burn- 
ing in every place until every man shall find the way 
of life. 

Korea is an open field and invites tlie missionary 
with great promises of rich harvests. But Christian- 
ity in Korea must be of the Korean's type. The 
characteristics of the Korean and his nation will nat- 
urally modify more or less the Christianity which 
may be expected in the Hermit Empire. Japan is a 
challenge to-day to the Christian world and to the 
faith of the Christian Church. The people are in- 
quirers after truth, and the government is equipping 
its subjects for world's citizenship. Christianity has 

148 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

no opposition ; but, on the other hand, it has been in- 
vited to present its case, supported by its argument; 
and the promise has been made that it will be duly 
considered. It is true that ordinary men, intellectually 
or spiritually, cannot accomplish very much in the 
missions of Japan; but men who know and can ex- 
pound and defend Christianity and who understand 
Oriental and Christian philosophy and who have spir- 
its like the Master's can perform a world's service in 
the mission stations of the Sunrise Kingdom. If the 
first work among the native Christians has been prop- 
erly done, they will welcome all laborers from the 
home field who can really assist in planting the ban- 
ner of Christianity in the high places of their enter- 
prising nation. Japan wants preachers of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ who can give the bread of life to the 
people and who can lead them by the light of their 
own lives into the experience of genuine salvation. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, may have 
a just pride in her missions in the Orient and in the 
men who have undergone great personal sacrifices to 
bring success to Christianity in those lands. But no 
man can visit these various stations without feeling 
that Southern Methodism should enter twice as many 
doors as she has entered. The work is cramped at 
every point by the lack of funds. Churches should 
be built, some school buildings erected, some schools 
for ministers established, and new fields opened; but 
the money is not at hand. When will the Church 
awake to its opportunity in these Eastern lands ? The 
missionaries are doing all that could be expected of 
them. They need help and the help of the men in 
authority. Why has the Church at home considered 

149 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

that all its general superintendents should live within 
the bounds of the territory in the United States, and 
that a mission field upon which is spent a quarter of 
a million dollars annually should be administered al- 
most entirely by authorities who are seven thousand 
miles away and who cannot communicate with the 
field in less than two months ? No business firm would 
adopt such a policy. Our Church instructs its Col- 
lege of Bishops to send a general superintendent to 
China, Japan, and Korea once in two years, and that 
for a visit of only two to three weeks in each coun- 
try. For the rest of the two years the missionaries 
must depend entirely upon the mails for instructions 
and for plans. If the College of Bishops had the 
authority to designate one of its number who would 
make his home in Shanghai four years and superin- 
tend the whole field of China, Japan, and Korea for 
a quadrennium, then it would appear that the Church 
meant to give the Orient as thorough a general super- 
intendency as it gives the field at home. A bishop who 
would live on the field for a quadrennium could ad- 
minister the work continually with zeal, intelligence, 
and force. By the present plan the bishop in charge 
of these missions is burdened with duties of the Church 
at home as soon as he returns, and he cannot give the 
foreign field the attention which it deserves and really 
requires. The work in China should have to-day vig- 
orous support from one in authority who is intelligent- 
ly alive to the needs of the field. The wonderful de- 
velopment in Korea puts great responsibility upon the 
missionaries there. They need a superintendent with 
episcopal power who can direct in conserving the great 
results of the work. The problems that constantly 

150 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

arise in the missions in Japan because of the new 
conditions incident to the formation of the Methodist 
Church of Japan should have prompt attention from 
one who is the authorized representative of the Church. 
Many adjustments are naturally necessary, and the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has too great in- 
terests in Japan to allow important matters at any time 
to drift until proper action can be taken by the author- 
ities in America. The missionaries in these fields 
whom I have consulted are greatly in favor of a 
bishop being assigned to the Orient for four years at 
a time. They rightly feel that this work warrants 
such consideration from the Church. The assignment 
may be made by the College of Bishops or in any way 
which the Church through the General Conference 
may adopt. If I were asked what I considered the 
greatest need of our missions in China, Japan, and 
Korea, I would surely say a resident bishop, and the 
wisest and the most forceful administrator in the 
whole College. I would not discount in any sense 
the remarkable work which has been accomplished 
through the present plan; but if we are to progress 
at a worthy speed in the future, a resident bishop 
would be a powerful factor. 

151 



CHAPTER XII. 

Touching Britain in the Orient. 

WHO would think of reaching English soil In a 
two days' voyage from Shanghai, the foreign 
capital of the Orient? At midday of March 24 our 
good steamer, Prinz Ludwig, lifted anchor at the 
mouth of the Hwang Po, and on the morning of 
March 27 we awoke to find ourselves at the dock in 
the harbor of Hongkong, the finest in the Far East 
and one of the finest in the world. A pretentious 
youth was once passing various criticisms on China 
and the Chinese, and his less loquacious but better in- 
formed fellow-traveler asked him if he had traveled 
much in China, seen Peking, Hankow, Nanking, and 
the great interior. The youth confessed that he had 
seen only Hongkong. "Why," said the older man, 
"you have not been in China; Hongkong is not in 
China, but is owned and controlled by the English 
government." In 1841 the hilly island of Hongkong, 
eleven miles long, two to five miles wide, and twenty- 
seven miles in circumference, was ceded by China to 
Great Britain. The British have built upon it a great 
city with a population of 325,000 people, the real name 
of which is Victoria, although it is commonly known 
as Hongkong. The government of the island is sim- 
ilar to that of most English possessions. The Gov- 
ernor Is appointed by the authorities in London, and 
is responsible for the government of the Island. He 
is aided by an executive council composed of five offi- 

152 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cials and two unofficial members of the community. 
The legislative council is presided over by the Gov- 
ernor, and is composed of the officer commanding the 
troops, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, 
the Registrar General, the Director of Public Works, 
the Harbor Master, the Captain of Police, and six 
unofficial members, one of whom is elected by the 
Chamber of Commerce and another by the justices of 
the peace. The other four, two of whom are Chinese, 
are appointed by the Governor. The government of 
the colony is very largely in the hands of the Gov- 
ernor, as the various officials who compose the coun- 
cils and governing bodies are his own appointees. 

How beautiful is Hongkong, nestled in the narrow 
space between the mountains and the sea ! The city 
is only two to four blocks deep and skirts the harbor 
for three or four miles. Two of the main streets, on 
which now stand some of the city's finest buildings 
and the finest in the East, have been taken from the 
sea. These buildings of four or five stories in height, 
with colonnades on the streets, give the tourist a most 
pleasing impression upon his introduction to this East- 
ern city. Immediately behind the few business streets 
are the public gardens filled with the most luxuriant 
flowers and shrubbery, while the entire hillside shows 
the hand of the skilled landscape gardener. Former- 
ly the island was destitute of foliage, but now the 
young forests planted by the government furnish a 
beauty which is unexcelled even by rare and rich 
Honolulu. The houses, large and handsome, rising 
tier upon tier from the water's edge to a height of over 
five hundred feet, along with the ample gardens of 
rich tropical foliage, give the city of Victoria an ap- 

153 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

pearance of magnificence which no traveler will soon 
forget. The mountains rise rapidly until they culmi- 
nate in Victoria Peak at a height of 1,823 feet. A 
cable car carries passengers up a distance of more 
than one thousand feet, and then the chair coolies will 
be glad to do the rest for a reasonable sum. However, 
a fine road leads from the train station to the summit 
and offers as fine views of the hills and the harbor as 
human eyes ever feasted upon. From the summit the 
view of the harbor, which is as notable for its beauty 
as for its safety and capacit}^ is one of the mental 
treasures with which no traveler would willingly part. 

On the Victoria Peak is a flagstaff from which the 
approach of mail steamers and other vessels is sig- 
naled. The Hongkong harbor cannot be entered with- 
out the knowledge of the militar}'- as well as civil au- 
thorities. The garrison is about five hundred feet be- 
low the summit. It consists of three companies of 
royal artillery, one company of royal engineers, one 
battalion of infantry army service corps, royal medical 
corps, four Indian infantry battalions, four companies 
of native artillery, one local company of native engi- 
neers, and a volunteer corps of one troop of mounted 
infantry, two companies of garrison artillery, and one 
company of engineers. The approaches to the harbor 
are strongly fortified. The city possesses a small 
squadron for harbor defense. An excellent navy yard 
is in the harbor. Hongkong is the English Gibraltar 
of the East, and will be the base for any operations 
which England may be called upon to institute in 
maintaining her position among the nations of the 
Orient. 

The voyage from Shanghai was extremely pleasant 
154 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

not only because of the smooth sea^ but because of the 
perceptible change in the climate. The biting- atmos- 
phere of Japan and China during February and March 
made the voyage to the South all the more desirable. 
Overcoats, heavy underwear, and chilly sensations the 
thin-blooded Southerner was glad to be rid of, even 
if the other extreme was only a few days away. The 
maximum temperature for Hongkong is ninety-four 
degrees, the minimaim thirty-six^ and the mean is sev- 
enty-one. The mean rainfall is eighty-six inches. 
While the natural productions of the island are few 
and unimportant and nothing is grown except a little 
rice and a few vegetables, yet the rains furnish nu- 
merous streams which water the well-kept city. The 
equableness of the climate, the beauty of the homes, 
the hills and the harbor, the accessibility to China and 
the Eastern lands make Hongkong a desirable place 
for a residence. Of the 325,000 people, 310,000 are 
Chinese; but they appreciate the government under 
which they live. The city has four daily English 
newspapers, two weeklies, and eight native papers. It 
has large manufactories, among them being three large 
sugar refineries, a rope factory, a glass, a soap, and 
four match factories, a feather-cleaning and packing 
establishment, cotton mills with 55,000 spindles, a pa- 
per mill, and a brewery. The value of the property 
of the city is about $9,000,000. The annual trade of 
the port, imports and exports, reaches $250,000,000. 

The day spent in this beautiful, enterprising city 
was a joy to the travelers on their way from China to 
India. It was a matter of sincere regret that we did 
not have time to go to Canton, ninety miles away, and 
get a view of the greatest city in Southern China and 

155 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the one from which America is suppHed with her Chi- 
nese population. But the clock struck five, the coarse 
whistle sounded its farewell, and the ship throbbed 
with life and movement. Such a din of bursting fire- 
crackers all over the harbor I had never heard. A 
dozen launches steamed by the ship, and the noise was 
deafening. Chinese colors were waving from boat and 
barge, from shore and sea. On inquiry it was found 
that a Chinese gentleman, with some of his wives and 
children, a retinue of servants and attendants, had come 
aboard our steamer and was leaving Hongkong for 
Penang, to which he had been appointed Consul Gen- 
eral for his government. This Chinese custom of cel- 
ebrating any special event in the life of a fellow-citizen 
is very beautiful. The Chinese will always touch oft 
a few firecrackers when he desires to show honor to 
his friends. 

From Hongkong to Singapore the v/ater was as 
smooth as a lake and the breezes as balmy as the 
tropical sun and a beneficent sea could make them. 
The ship's company had worn off the strangeness, 
and the fellowship was genial. Among the passengers 
was a Russian general from Vladivostok, whose nu- 
merous death sentences passed upon soldiers in his 
court-martials made him choose the long journey by 
a German steamer in preference to the uncertain travel 
on the Trans-Siberian Railway. His kindly face and 
gentle demeanor in no way indicated the harshness of 
his decisions which his record had confirmed. At 
Hongkong we received the Registrar General of the 
island, who was going home for a rest. Quite a large 
number of clerks and minor officials who had done 
service in the East, several traveling representatives 

156 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



of business firms, and some gentlemen of commerce 
were passengers. During the day these gentlemen 
went quite negligee and exhibited at different hours 
the various articles of their summer wardrobe. One 
young Englishman told me that he did not bring many 
clothes, and that he had only nine pairs of "breeches." 
I liked the term. These English youngsters and the 
rest of these Eastern travelers would come to the 
"dinner" table (they have lost supper entirely in places 
of pretension) in their dress suits. Wherever we trav- 
eled in the East the Englishman would don his dress 
suit for his evening dinner. It is told on the English 
that if a man is camping in the jungles he will lay 
aside his all-day suit and put on his dress suit to sit 
down to his evening meal, even if he eats absolutely 
alone. I admire his zeal, but question his judgment. 

Singapore harbor was reached at noon, but the ship 
did not pass quarantine and get to dock until five 
o'clock. The day was not "middling" warm but "blaz- 
ing" hot. Only six days previous we boarded the 
Prinz Ludwig wrapped in overcoats and incased in 
flannels. It was then a matter as to how much we 
could put on, while now it was how little could we 
leave on. The natives had evidently long ceased to 
debate the question, as they were enveloped only in 
sunshine and a loin cloth. A Turkish bath with its 
steaming process is always ready for those who dis- 
embark at Singapore. But this city is only one and 
one-fourth degrees, or less than ninety miles, from the 
equator, and its climate is ahvays equably hot. More 
than 200,000 people live there, a large percentage of 
whom are Chinese. The natives are Malays, black 
and shiny ; but they have been driven to a subordinate 

157 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

place in society because of their physical weakness, 
their mental incapacity, and their temporal incompe- 
tency. There are two to three thousand Europeans. 
The government officials and the regiments of soldiers 
are English. The Governor's residence is an elegant 
building delightfully located on a promontory and sur- 
rounded by a luxuriant garden through which there 
are beautiful drivewaj^s. The garrison occupies a 
choice section of the city, and is well furnished for 
the comfort of soldiers and officers. The streets of the 
city are broad, and in certain sections they are over- 
arched by the branches of great trees. The district 
that is filled with the native shops is wanting in al- 
most everything except filth and persistent odors. The 
botanical gardens are the finest to be found in the 
East. The beds of orchids and ferns cannot be excelled. 
The richness of tropical vegetation can be seen in 
these rare gardens. In the tall trees untamed monkeys 
play with their native abandon while the songsters 
chant their chords never heard by those who live in 
the more northerly climates. In another part of the 
city were the great cocoanut plantations whose har- 
vests bring wealth to the island. The grace of the 
cocoanut palm, the kindly expanse of the traveler's 
palm, the full v^^ealth of the betel nut tree, the laden 
stalks of the banana, the occasional appearance of the 
nutmeg bush all made this visit to the tropics a per- 
fect delight. We forgot the dirty, sloven, ramshackle 
huts of the natives and the squalor and unseemly looks 
of these black sons of the tropics in our sight-seeing 
and in our ecstasies over the joys which the white 
man has brought to Singapore ; but we found a man 
and his associates who had not forgotten these needy 

158 




MALAY HOUSE IN SINGAPORE. 




STREET SCENE IN SINGAPORE. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

people. He is a missionary whose zeal never lessens, 
whose body seems never to tire, and whose labor is 
given without stint for the benefit of these whose 
minds and hearts are darker than their bodies. 

Just before leaving Shanghai I met Bishop W. F. 
Oldham and Bishop J. E. Robinson, of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, who gave me letters of introduction 
to their missionaries in Singapore, Rangoon, Calcutta, 
and various cities in India. So, arriving in Singapore, 
I telephoned Rev. W. T. Cherry, the Manager of the 
Publishing House, and inquired for information as to 
a proper place to spend our two days in Singapore. 
His prompt reply was : "Come up." We went "up" 
and on to his home, and there we spent two as delight- 
ful days as ever came to travelers in a foreign land. 
Canadian-born were the missionary and his wife, 
trained in the Northern schools, yet no Southerners 
could have given us larger hospitality and more joyful 
entertainment. They helped us to see Singapore. The 
new press building is almost completed. It is a fine 
structure, located on one of the most desirable streets 
in the city. It will be a center for all the work on the 
Malay Peninsula and on the surrounding islands. Mr. 
Cherry is not only the Agent of the Publishing House, 
but is presiding elder of the district and pastor of the 
Malay Church. The work among the Chinese in Sin- 
gapore is exceedingly encouraging, while the Church 
for English and Eurasians is self-supporting. Bishop 
Oldham has his home in Singapore, and exercises epis- 
copal jurisdiction over the Philippines. The Church 
in educational and evangelistic work is to be congrat- 
ulated upon its results, but it is really now only at the 
threshold of its opportunity in that section, 

159 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

We changed steamers at Singapore and took the Pal- 
atana. It was a poor craft, but the passengers kept 
up fine spirits. In thirty-six hours we anchored in the 
harbor of Penang, another island belonging to Great 
Britain in the colony known as the Straits Settlements, 
which comprises Singapore, Penang, the Keeling Is- 
lands, the Binding Islands, the province of Malacca, 
and the province of Wellesley. They have formed a 
British colony since 1867, previous to which time they 
were administered as a presidency of the Indian Em- 
pire. They have a government similar to that of 
Hongkong, issue their own money, and attend to their 
own affairs. Penang has a population of about 100,- 
000, most of whom are Chinese and many of whom 
are quite wealthy. The residences of some of these 
Chinese merchants are veritable palaces, while their 
fine horses and carriages and automobiles enable them 
to make the usual exhibit of those who make preten- 
sions to financial aristocracy. A ride by the tram 
(everything is tram east of the Atlantic Ocean) to 
the Chinese temple gave an excellent view of the 
finest cocoanut plantations in the world. They fur- 
nish the source of wealth in the Straits Settlements. 
The drive to the botanical gardens gave a good view 
of the magnificent public and private buildings, as 
well as the slovenly hovels and the filthy shops which 
can be found in Penang. The Chinese Buddhist tem- 
ple is a marvel in its beauty and adornment. On the 
way out we saw several carriages carrying barrels of 
silver paper (joss money) to be burned in the temple 
for the use of those departed. On the altar in the 
temple stood large bowls of choice viands of which 
the spirits partook while the priests chanted and of 

160 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which the priests partook after the worshipers de- 
parted. But a great Light has come into the world, 
and the darkened nations shall yet see Him who giveth 
life and showeth men the Father. 

When our steamer, Palatana, left Singapore we ex- 
pected to have only a few hours in Rangoon, the cap- 
ital of the province of Burma and one of the most im- 
portant cities in the East. But travel by ship is less 
certain than travel by rail, as the entrance into ports, 
the interviews with the customs officer, and the trans- 
shipping which is necessary give the traveler occasion- 
ally more time at some places than he would desire. 
However, time would not hang heavily on any tourist 
in Burma and its metropolis. The crowded condition 
of the jetty prevented our ship from coming to the 
dock for several hours ; but the ever-present sampan 
was ready to take us ashore for one anna (two cents) 
a person, and so we were soon comfortably quartered 
in the hotel. It was eleven o'clock in the morning, 
and the heat was intense. Our safety demanded that 
there be no exposure at that time of the day or up 
to four o'clock in the afternoon to the vicious sun- 
shine. The heat in the shade may be endured ; but the 
direct beams of the blazing sun upon a white man's 
head, neck, and back would soon fell the strongest 
with a severe sunstroke. The white residents take no 
chances with Rangoon's sunshine. The Burmese and 
the other races who now live in Rangoon are more 
able to endure the sunshine than the Europeans or 
the Eurasians, as the mixed race in which there is 
European and Asiatic blood is called. A traveler from 
America will find these Asiatic people of the lower 
classes simply or sky clad. In the passing throng on 
11 161 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the streets or among the keepers of stalls in bazaars 
or laborers in the market places the bar^ black back 
is as common, if not more so, than the coat, the shirt, 
or the native toga. In the hotels and also on the 
steamers the table and chamber servants may have 
on their immaculate white garments, but their feet 
know not the restrictions of a calf's skin or a kid's 
pelt. The carriage drivers, as well as the laborers 
on the streets, have never been troubled with fashions 
in shoes or even the fastening of shoe laces. Occa- 
sionally a leader of the ultrasocial set will take to 
the ways of his white associates and, although he has 
no hat and his toga may leave his legs bare, he will 
put on his feet, with stockings, a pair of glistening 
patent leather "pumps" and spread over his lofty head 
a black umbrella, a thing which furnishes little pro- 
tection in tlie burning rays of the tropical sun but 
great satisfaction to his exalted feelings. But the 
strange thing about the people of Rangoon, the capi- 
tal of Burma, is that the large majority of them are 
not Burmese. The streets were filled with people one 
morning, and I asked a resident of Rangoon, whose 
kindness to us will not be forgotten, to point out the 
Burmese, and he could find only one. in the large com- 
pany. There were many Tamilese from Lower India, 
some Indians from Madras, some from Northern India 
provinces, and Mohammedans, but the Burmese were 
not numerous anywhere. The country is filling very 
fast with people from India. This is due in part to 
the fact that India is crowded and the overflow must 
seek other lands, but it is due more to the well- 
known disinclination of the Burmese to give them- 
selves to any strenuous labor. The men of Burma 

162 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

are lazy, and they depend in a large measure upon 
their women for their support. The women are the 
moneymakers. I was told of a Burmese who was a 
clerk in some business establishment at sixty rupees 
(twenty dollars) a month while his wife had a mer- 
cantile business of her own and drove in the after- 
noons in one of the best turnouts of the city. Her 
husband was permitted to accompany her on her 
drives. The men are inclined to consider themselves 
gentlemen of the kind who frown upon labor. This 
element in the character of the Burmese may lead to 
the peopling of his country with a more enterprising 
and strenuous race. 

Burma has been an English province under the 
Viceroy of India since January i, 1886, when King 
Thebaw was dethroned and sent to a small city south 
of Bombay, where he still lives under surveillance. 
Previous to this time England owned several districts 
of Burma. In fact, she had been gradually acquiring 
the territory of Burma for many years by the con- 
quests which were made when small principalities 
would harass the English forces. Since 1897 the prov- 
ince has had its own Lieutenant Governor, whose resi- 
dence is in Rangoon. The old capital of the country 
was Mandalay, which is a city of 200,000 people about 
four hundred miles from Rangoon. Occasionally the 
Lieutenant Governor makes his residence for a few 
months in Mandalay. So Burma has its own pro- 
vincial government and its own army. Government 
buildings and buildings for the courts are superior 
to most of the State buildings in our own common- 
wealths. The army in Rangoon consists of three or 
four regiments, with a force of artillery. The can- 

163 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tonment, the arm}^ post, is one of the most beautiful 
and best-kept parts of the city. 

Burma has an area of 236,738 square miles, and has 
a population of about 11,000,000 people. Eighty-eight 
per cent of the population are Buddhists in religion. 
Every Burman is supposed to spend a certain part of 
his life as a monk, whether he adopts the sacred call- 
ing ultimately or not. The monks are the schoolmas- 
ters of the countr}', although many of them are too 
ignorant to be teachers of any merit. The shaven 
head and the 3^ellow robe are the marks of the sacred 
order, and they -may be seen in any collection of peo- 
ple. Because of the number of Buddhists in Burma, 
the pagodas and monasteries form the chief objects 
of interest throughout Burma. The finest pagoda in 
the world and the most venerable and most universally 
visited of all places of worship in Indo-China is the 
Shwe Dagon Pagoda, in Rangoon. Its sanctity to 
Buddhists is due to the actual relics of Gautama and 
three Buddhas who preceded him which it contains. 
Countless pilgrims come to worship not only from 
Burma but from Siam, Korea, and Ceylon. I must 
say that I v/as wonderfully impressed by its magni- 
tude, its magnificence, and the deep religious atmos- 
phere with which it is invested. It stands on a hill 
or terrace 166 feet high, 900 feet long, and 685 feet 
wide. This terrace is ascended by several flights of 
granite stairs which are housed in and along which 
are the various stalls for the sale of gold-leaf flowers, 
pictures, and the elements which the pious offer. The 
stairs lead to a broad open space covered with flag- 
stones, which runs all round the pagoda, and which is 
left free for worshipers. The pagoda is a solid stone 

164 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

pile with a circumference of 1,355 ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ octag- 
onal base, and a height of 370 feet. It tapers to a 
circumference of about fifty feet at the top, which is 
surmounted by the usual gilt ironwork "umbrella." 
This "umbrella" cost $250,000, and was presented by 
a king. The rare jewels which stud this umbrella 
are estimated to be worth more than $1,000,000. The 
whole pagoda has been covered with gold leaf. What 
this immense structure has cost, no one could even 
roughly estimate, but several millions of dollars would 
be required to replace it if it were destroyed. It was 
constructed by voluntary labor, and the subscriptions 
in money and jewels flowed in from all parts of 
Burma. 

The original pagoda was erected in 588 B.C., and 
was only twenty-seven feet high. It has been cased 
with outer coverings until it has reached its present 
size. It has not been changed in size and shape since 
1564. On the outer edge of the platform there are 
many small pagodas, while about the great pagoda are 
high stone altars and single low stone chapels in which 
are figures of Buddha. Some of these figures are 
beautiful pieces of marble. In the four chapels are 
colossal figures of Buddha^ and in one there is a re- 
clining statue that is worthy of notice. The worship- 
ers fall upon their knees in the open space, looking to 
the immense towers, or on their face before some 
image and pour out their souls in prayer. Mendicant 
priests strike triangular metal gongs, which give out 
sweet tones and call for the attention of those inclined 
to bestow alms. The enormous bell, which is said to 
weigh forty-two tons, hangs where it may be seen 
by the worshiper. When the English captured Ran- 

165 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

goon, they made an attempt to take the bell to Cal- 
cutta as a trophy; but by some mishap they lost it in 
the Rangoon River. The English engineers failed in 
their efforts to raise it. The Burmans begged that 
the sacred bell be restored to them if they could re- 
cover it. They secured it after mighty efforts, and 
bore it in triumph to the pagoda. 

The visit to the great Shwe Dagon Pagoda and to 
the Soolay Pagoda impressed me with Buddhism as 
has nothing else which I have seen in the Orient. 
The worship is indeed pitiable. These darkened mil- 
lions are groping after the truth, and they are seeking 
for a merciful God for their burdened lives. Such 
devout people need and have a right to the pure, sim- 
ple gospel of Jesus Christ. I wanted to preach to 
them and tell them the sweet story of the wonderful 
love of God. Surely a great Church in a rich land, 
with all the comforts, conveniences, and even luxuries 
of the religious life, will not shut up its sympathies 
until these poor people have seen the light which has 
come into the wofld. Thousands of dollars should be 
going to these lands where now only tens are sent. 
It is a matter of great comfort to know that Chris- 
tianity is making excellent progress in Burma. There 
are more than ten thousand Christians in Rangoon, 
and more than 150,000 in the province. When I re- 
membered that Adoniram Judson came to Rangoon in 
July, 1813, and labored in Burma for almost forty 
years, I felt that I was on ground consecrated by 
the most sacrificial of lives. At the time of his death, 
in 1850, while making his journey to the beloved 
America, the native Christians numbered 7,000, while 
at present the number of communicants in the Baptist 

166 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Churches in Burma is about 55,000. I visited the 
Baptist Press, a magnificent establishment with fine 
equipment. I found the prices charged for books, 
post cards, and such material as travelers would want 
above those charged by other firms. Too frequently 
publishing houses fail to draw custom by allowing the 
prices to be cut by other firms in the community. A 
Church ought to be able to do business as cheap as, 
if not cheaper than, the competitive firms. The won- 
derful success which has attended the missionary work 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Rangoon and 
vicinity should be exceedingly gratifying not only to 
the workers but to the Church at home. The new 
brick church for the English congregation has been 
completed at a cost of about $25,000. The buildings 
for the Burmese Boys' School have been completed. 
The Girls' School for Eurasians has just closed its 
session. The attendance reached about two hundred 
pupils. The students from the Girls' School recently 
took the first honors in the government public exami- 
nations for teachers. The institution has a high stand- 
ing in the community. The evangelistic work for the 
various tribes and for the Chinese is showing excellent 
results. It is remarkable how large amount of fine 
property has been secured by the mission without the 
assistance of its General Board of Missions. Meth- 
odism in Burma is in its infancy, but it gives promise 
of healthy growth. 

The principal commercial industries of Burma are 
those connected with the rice and timber trade. Gold 
and silver have been found in small quantities in some 
parts of the country, fine marble is worked near Man- 
dalay, and coal is mined in Upper Burma. Petroleum 

167 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

is obtained in large quantities in some sections. The 
Standard Oil Company is well known in Burma. In 
the lower part of the country agriculture is the main 
employment of the people. Cotton and tobacco are 
extensively grown, but rice covers four-fifths of the 
total area in cultivation. The soil is lavish in its yield 
and requires but little labor. The chief articles ex- 
ported are rice, timber, hides, petroleum, and precious 
stones. The forests have made the timber dealers 
rich in recent years. Through the influence of a fel- 
low-traveler and a well-known business man of Cal- 
cutta, our party had the privilege of visiting the large 
Bombay Lumber Mills in Rangoon and seeing the 
elephants at work. They were drawing heavy logs, 
piling heavy timbers with their trunks, and doing much 
heavy work. A timber man told me that he had forty- 
seven elephants in his logging parties. He gave me a 
photograph of five elephants drawing a log that 
weighed five tons, and also one of an elephant carry- 
ing a heavy log on his tusks held in place by his trunk. 
The rider indicates by the tap of his heel or of his 
stick or by the tone of his voice what he wants done. 
The elephant is very useful in the forests, but machin- 
ery is displacing him in the mills. 

Rangoon has a population of 250,000 people, and 
its trade is surpassed by no Indian cities except Cal- 
cutta and Bombay. Its annual private sea-borne trade 
is about $90,000,000, of which three-fifths is export. 
More than 1,000 steamers clear its port every year. 
It has an electric light plant, a good water system, 
and an electric street railway. The street cars are 
patronized only by the natives, as the foreigners have 
some fear of disease germs. The business houses of 

168 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the firms controlled by Europeans are large and well 
built. The shops of the natives are small, although 
they are on the first floor of two-story houses. The 
bazaars which are owned and leased by the govern- 
ment are busy places, and they bring excellent reve- 
nues to the city. The streets are of good width, and 
are as well kept as could be expected where there is 
no rain for seven months in the year, and where the 
only sprinkling which they receive must be done by 
men from two buckets carried on their shoulders and 
which sprinkle through long bamboo spouts. The 
streets were necessarily dusty on the first of April, 
as the rains do not begin until about the middle of 
May. The streets, the grass, and the flowers showed 
the need of water. However, the public park inclos- 
ing the lakes is a place of great beauty. A drive 
through the grounds, as well as through some of the 
principal streets in the late afternoon, gave us an op- 
portunity to hear the military band, see many of the 
most beautiful homes and clubs, and to get some idea 
of the high social life in the Burmese capital. 

While only 80,000 of the 250,000 people in Rangoon 
are Burmans — 90,000 are Hindoos and 50,000 Moham- 
medans — yet they are not without interest. Physically 
they are short and thick-set. The men wear long hair 
and little or no beard. They are flat in feature, and 
show some resemblance to the Chinese. The women 
are more or less attractive in looks, and are not se- 
cluded as in India. They go to market, keep shop, 
and take their full share in social and domestic affairs. 
Both sexes are well clad and " delight in gay colors 
and silk attire. Caste has no place among the Bur- 
mans. The deadening effect of the climate and the 

169 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

richness of soil and exuberance of vegetation may ac- 
count for their indolence and love of ease. The future 
of the Burmese cannot now be anticipated, but schools 
and Christian Churches will bring to them high ideals 
and prospects of a stronger life. 

170 



CHAPTER XIII. 
The First Touch of India. 

THE voyage from Rangoon to Calcutta was made 
in an elegant turbine wheel steamer with a ton- 
nage of only nine hundred tons. While it was by far 
the smallest steamer on which we sailed, yet it was the 
fastest. It had no trouble in making sixteen knots 
an hour against a strong gale, while the large liners 
on which we had traveled made only fourteen and 
fifteen knots. Steamships are usually run at their 
economical speed — that is, at that speed which en- 
ables them to make the voyage at the least expense. 
If a steamer is rushed, the consumption of coal will 
diminish the profits of the traffic ; while if they go too 
slow the extra time consumed will increase the ex- 
pense of the passengers and the crew, and the amount 
of coal will be increased by the length of the voyage. 
The beautiful little Lunka was built for the mail serv- 
ice between Rangoon and Calcutta, and her econom- 
ical speed is sixteen to eighteen knots an hour. Her 
captain, the son of an English clergyman who lives in 
Stratford-on-Avon, was the most cultured and genteel 
officer that we have encountered on our entire jour- 
ney. The rectory, the parsonage, and the manse have 
given to the world a very large percentage of the 
most effective and most genteel members of society. 
Preachers' sons will compare most favorably with the 
sons of the men of any other profession. 

The Lunka danced like a cork when it came in con- 
171 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tact with the swells from the western coast, and the 
last evening the passengers were more inclined to their 
cabins than to the dinner table. The promise that the 
early morning would bring peace to the troubled waters 
was fulfilled about noon ; and a genial, smiling com- 
pany began to emerge from their various hiding places, 
and the usual question, "Where have you been?" was 
passed around. From the sea we entered Hugh River, 
which is one of the most treacherous streams in the 
world. It shifts its channel almost daily, and the 
special pilots make every voyage with the greatest 
precaution. This stream has engulfed many a vessel. 
The suction power of its quicksand will usually draw 
under any steamer before relief can be brought. 
Lightships, lighthouses, and buoys mark the channel 
the entire ninety miles from the sea to Calcutta. Nu- 
merous and well-built forts along the banks speak de- 
fiance to any intruding foe. The Saturday's sun went 
down in glory; and our good steamer came to anchor 
in sight of the capital city of India, and we were com- 
pelled to be content in midstream till morning. The 
officers who sit at the receipt of custom had closed 
their doors, and entrance into the city other than 
through them was not possible. At sunrise we were 
steaming to the wharf, only to find that the condition 
of the tide would not allow us to dock. The customs 
officers soon courteously examined our luggage with- 
out trying to prove that we were liars and thieves. 
(The customhouses and custom officials who have the 
most unsavory reputation in all the world have float- 
ing over them the Stars and Stripes.) We were taken 
to the shore on a steam launch, and soon our carriage 
stood at the door of the Thoburn Methodist Episcopal 

172 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Church. Here Bishop J. M. Thoburn labored for 
many years, and after him Bishop F. W. Warne. The 
membership is composed of Americans, Europeans, 
and Anglo-Indians whose sympathies are more Eng- 
lish than Indian. No service for the natives is ever 
conducted in this church. Although we arrived at 
nine o'clock, yet the Sunday school and the preaching 
services had been concluded, and only a few people 
lingered in the vestibule for the usual prolonged social 
greetings. The Sunday school is held at seven o'clock 
in the morning, and is follov/ed by the preaching serv- 
ice. The people return to their homes and have break- 
fast at half past nine or ten o'clock. The evening 
service is held at six o'clock, after which the people 
return home for their dinner. The heat in the midday 
compels the white people to stay within thick-walled 
houses. All habits of life must be accommodated to 
the climate. When people arise at six o'clock or ear- 
lier, they have their light breakfast in their rooms and 
before they dress. This breakfast consists for the 
most part of tea and toast. The duties of the day are 
entered upon at once. At nine thirty, ten, or ten thirty 
o'clock breakfast is served. Work in the home or in 
the office then begins. Business men of the white race 
do not open their offices until ten o'clock. At two or 
three o'clock another meal is served which is called 
"tiffin." Business houses and offices close at five 
o'clock, and dinner is served at half past seven or 
eight o'clock in the evening. The social duties are 
discharged in the late afternoon. Tourists must do 
their sight-seeing before ten o'clock in the morning 
and after five o'clock in the afternoon. 

Calcutta is a great city of one million people, and as 
173 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the capital of India it holds a prominent place in the 
social and political life of the Orient. The Governor 
General, or Viceroy, as he is more frequently called, 
has his official residence here, and the offices of the 
government call here the most influential men that are 
connected with the life of the empire. The great pal- 
ace for the Viceroy, the Municipal Hall, the High 
Court, the post office, the secretariat, the mint, and 
the home of the Lieutenant Governor impress the 
tourist with the imperial cast of the city. In these 
great buildings will be found the portraits or busts of 
such distinguished persons as Queen Victoria and the 
Prince Consort, Warren Hastings, the Duke of Wel- 
lington, Dr. Alexander Duff, Sir Henry Russell, Lord 
Cornwallis (who served as Governor General of India 
after some humiliating military experiences in Amer- 
ica), Bishop Reginald Heber, and other notable men. 
In the center of the city is the famous Maidan, oi' 
esplanade, which is nearly two miles long and one 
mile broad. The residence of the Viceroy faces it on 
the north, while Belvidere, the residence of the Lieu- 
tenant Governor, is at the southern end. On the west 
side is Fort William, and on the east side is the Im- 
perial Museum, whose Indian treasures are exceed- 
ingly interesting and valuable. The Eden Gardens 
form a part of the esplanade. They are very beau- 
tiful, and furnish the meeting place for the high social 
set for their evening greetings. In the season from 
November to February one can see here any afternoon 
and evening the exclusive social uppertendom of Cal- 
cutta. The fine equipages, the superb display of mil- 
linery, and the intoxicating music make a scene well 
worth one's attention. But the heat had scattered offi- 

174 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cialdom and uppertendom, and we saw the ordinary 
doings of those who imitate those who do well. The 
gardens did not deny us the joy of their beauty. I 
was not admitted to the Viceroy's mansion, although 
he was away in the mountains at Simla. Of course 
the house was palatial, with its elegant breakfast room, 
dining room, throne room, council room, and ball- 
room ; but what interest could those places have for 
a wandering Methodist editor with strong democratic 
instincts and with more sympathy for the poor, igno- 
rant subjects of every land than for the display of the 
world's highest aristocracy? One may see much of 
palaces in Europe ; but only in India can one see the 
subject people from whom have come great philoso- 
phies and influential religions, and who may yet be- 
come the teachers in the deep things of human life. 

St. Paul's Cathedral is a stately pile of Hindoo- 
Gothic architecture which was erected more than sixty 
years ago at a cost of $250,000. The Bengal Club 
now occupies the house in which Lord Macaulay lived 
when he was a resident of Calcutta. Fort William, 
which was completed in 1773 at a cost of $10,000,000, 
does not occupy its former site, as it was moved by 
Lord Clive after the battle of Plassey in 1757. The 
old site is now occupied by the great post office 
building. It was in this fort that the one hundred and 
forty-six persons were thrown into the one room 22x14 
feet on June 20, 1756, and out of which only twenty- 
three persons were taken alive the next morning. The 
place is known as the Black Llole of Calcutta. The 
Black Hole has been filled and covered with cement 
and fenced with an iron railing, and is now in the 
alley between two buildings. In the street where the 

175 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

dead bodies were piled in a ditch by the order of the 
Indian Governor now stands a beautiful marble obelisk 
which was erected by Lord Curzon to take the place 
of the one which was originally erected by Mr. J. Z. 
Holwell, the principal survivor of the tragedy. The 
unfortunate death of the victims of the Black Hole 
provoked Lord Clive to battle, to the great disaster 
of the Indian Governor. 

Not far from the Black Hole, on what is called 
Dalhousie Square, is the old Mission Church, which 
was built by the celebrated Swedish missionary, 
Johann Zacharias Kiernander, who began his work in 
Calcutta in 1758. I visited the old church and read 
its many tablets to the memory of many faithful la- 
borers in this field. I sought for Duff College, the 
culmination of the work of the great Scotch mission- 
ary. The institution is not meeting with the success 
which is due its honored founder. It is soon to be 
united with the School of the General Assembly, and 
the two will occupy a new building in the northern 
part of the city. But the most sacred pilgrimage 
which I made while in Calcutta was a visit to Seram- 
pore, the scene of the labors of William Carey. I ar- 
rived at eight o'clock, and found Dr. George Howells, 
the Principal of Serampore College, in his office, busi- 
ly engaged with some plans for the improvement of 
the institution which was founded by Carey and his 
associates. Dr. Marshman and Dr. Ward, in 1818. 
I was in the building in which Carey lived, and saw 
the room in which he died. I went through the mag- 
nificent college building which he erected, and looked 
upon the instructors' chairs which were occupied by 
these great men in their work. The old pulpit is pre- 

176 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

served in the library, as are the short crutches which 
Dr. Carey was forced to use in his last days. The 
first Bengali Bible published, which he translated, is 
on the shelves. Not far away is the little Danish 
church house in which these missionaries preached, 
and near by is the pagoda which Henry Martyn oc- 
cupied while he was translating the Bible into Hindu- 
stani. On my way to the train I stopped at the little 
cemetery and uncovered my head at the graves of 
Dr. Carey and his three wives, Dr. Marshman, Dr. 
Ward, Rev. John Mack, and the child of Adoniram 
Judson. On Carey's tomb, according to his instruc- 
tions, have been carved the words : "A wretched, poor, 
and helpless worm, on Thy kind arms I fall." India 
has no more notable tombs, however much she may 
have built of marble and precious stones, than these 
in Serampore. But Serampore is as pathetic as in- 
spiring. In the little city there is a very small Chris- 
tian community, while the college has only a hundred 
boys of grammar and high school grade, with a dozen 
candidates for the ministry. There is a charter for 
a college departmient, but no pupils of that grade. Dr. 
Howells is a brilliant man, and the English Baptists 
are anxious to make the institution worthy of its great 
founder ; but success does not come. A plan has been 
proposed for making Serampore College a great in- 
terdenominational theological school. It is the only 
missionary institution in India that has the charter 
right to grant degrees. The theological schools may 
be as good as those in England or America, but they 
cannot confer degrees on their graduates. Serampore 
College has that right under its old Danish charter; 
and if it were made a great degree-conferring, inter- 
12 177 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

denominational theological school, it might have a 
large place in the missionary work of- India. The 
plan is being favorably considered by the missionary 
bodies of the empire. Surely something should be 
done to preserve Serampore with the sacred treasures 
which the Church universal feels have been deposited 
there. 

Of all the interesting places in Calcutta it would be 
difficult to speak, while to give my first impressions of 
the people might not in the end be just to them or 
creditable to me. It is very easy to hand down dog- 
matic opinions on little observation, but the English 
writers have done so much of that after a few days' 
sojourn in America that an American may well re- 
serve his verdict, as Rev, Abe Mulkey says, "until the 
evidence is all in," But one can pass opinion on the 
fine Bengal tigers that are in the zoological gardens, 
and on the leopards, elephants, lions, hyenas, monkeys, 
birds, and reptiles which were captured near Calcutta. 
It was a strange sensation that came over me when 
I learned that I was really in the home of these fero- 
cious beasts. It came to me that I was far away from 
the home of my childhood, and then the mind wan- 
dered over the seas. After that I went to the Botan- 
ical Gardens not so much to see the flowers and the 
almond trees and the royal palms — although they were 
very beautiful — but to examine the famous banyan 
tree. When I saw it, I found that it was a small 
forest which had sprung from one sprout. It is one 
hundred and thirty-eight years old. The circumfer- 
ence of its trunk five feet from the ground is fifty-one 
feet, while the circumference at the crown is nearly 
I, GOO feet. Its height is eighty-five feet. It has four 

17^8 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



hundred and sixty-four aerial roots actually rooted in 
the ground. A root will spring from any branch ; 
and if it connects with the ground, it will go in and 
become as any root. So the one tree has become 
a beautiful grove:, and the long branches are sup- 
ported by roots which now resemble living posts. 
This is perhaps the greatest wonder in the whole tree 
family. The banyan is a sacred tree among the Hin- 
doos. 

The tourists who had "done" India said that by all 
means we should see Darjeeling, a city and suburbs of 
160,000 people in the Himalaya IMountains, about four 
hundred miles north of Calcutta and very near the 
border of Tibet. So after a few days in Calcutta we 
made ready for the journey to the far-famed cit}^ It 
is one thing to float gently into a foreign city and be 
landed by the kindness of fellow-travelers in the 
homes of friends ; but when it comes to a stranger 
making his first railway journey in India, some new 
experiences may be expected. The train was sched- 
uled to leave Calcutta at five o'clock in the afternoon, 
and if all went well it would arrive in Darjeeling at 
one o'clock the next day. Tickets were secured at 
the city office, and our names were registered. I did 
not know why the names were taken, but I found out 
later without being told. Our host asked us if we 
had bedding. I had to confess that all v/e had was 
in America. So pillows, rugs, blankets, towels, and 
linens were brought for us and rolled into a bun- 
dle. The "gharry" (the carriage, by grace) was at 
the door; but the driver did not move from his seat 
to aid us with our suit cases, the bags, and the bed- 
ding. His caste, or position in society, would not 

179 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

allow him to perform so menial a service. But two 
coolies were at hand, and the luggage (no baggage in 
this country; all luggage) was piled on the gharry, 
and we were off for the train while good wishes were 
waved by the host and his wife. Station coolies by 
the half dozen rushed for the four pieces of luggage. 
We later felt a little embarrassed at our small amount 
of baggage, as men, women, and children, whites, 
blacks, and tinted, all take with them from six to fif- 
teen pieces of luggage. They pile it all in the car 
with them, trunks and all, and sit on the space that is 
left. The coolies knew what to do, and we followed 
them. They went direct to the coach that was painted 
white and black and which was divided into compart- 
ments for first- and second-class passengers. The 
white color in India is very attractive to those who 
may not know what ingredients may be mixed up in 
or with the less certain colors. The filth of India 
would be very valuable if some ingenious Yankee 
would invent some method of using it as a fertilizer. 
But travelers cannot be too squeamish, or else the trip 
will be cut short. The coolies put us in our train, and 
shortly we were moving at a good speed. 

The afternoon was very warm, the windows were 
open, the hot winds burned our faces, and the thick 
dust wrought havoc with eyes, ears, and mouth. But 
we were traveling for information and not for pleas- 
ure, and so why complain? The compartment was 
about eight feet long, and had scats along either side 
and one running parallel through the center of the 
car. A woman and her four children occupied one 
seat, a gentleman and his luggage occupied the one 
on the other side, while this traveler and his wife took 

180 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

lessons from the center. If confession must be made, 
the situation was not pleasing, and the prospect of 
an early change was the chief encouragement to en- 
durance. Promptly at eight o'clock we were informed 
that the Ganges River had been reached, and that we 
must take bed and baggage and board the waiting 
steamer. The information came not in spoken words, 
but with the clatter of coolies' tongues as they thrust 
their turbaned heads, black bodies, and bare shanks 
into our presence and clamored for a chance to carry 
the luggage to the steamer. Two men were chosen 
and loaded, and we rushed through the sand to the 
steamer Parisian. A few pice (one-half cent pieces) 
satisfied the coolies, and we turned to the table laden 
with the usual dinner in India. I say laden, although 
the dinner was served in courses, as are all meals in 
India. Of course chota hasari is brought to one's 
room about six to six-thirty in the morning, and con- 
sists of tea and toast and a bit of fruit. But breakfast 
at nine-thirty or ten o'clock, tiffin at two or three 
o'clock, and dinner at eight or eight-thirty o'clock are 
served in courses. How the people work and live with 
meals at such hours, I cannot see. They say, "This 
seems to be the best hours for out here ;" but the truth 
is, the custom is not indigenous, but it was imported 
with the government. But the meal, or the dinner, 
was well received after the physical exercise which 
the train furnished. The fish was touched lightly, as 
its past associations were not known. The mutton 
was good. Much mutton is eaten in India if one may 
judge from the usual bill of fare. However, I must 
confess that I saw a great many goats and very few 
sheep in India. The chicken was far from the "yellow 

181 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

leg" of which the poets or else so frequently write 
and speak. But the Mohammedans served us right 
well for two rupees ; and we arose to look out on the 
waters of the holy Ganges, which we were crossing. 
No sooner was the landing made than the grand rush 
of the coolies put life into the listless passengers, and 
in a few minutes we were at the train searching for 
the cars in which we would spend the night. Placards 
bore our names, and the game was as interesting as 
finding one's place at a dining. There was much dis- 
turbance and loud noises, the coolies having the as- 
sistance of the women and some men. But trains in 
India are never in a hurry about leaving a station, as 
the station master must see that every passenger is pro- 
vided with the accommodation to which his ticket en- 
titles him before the train is dispatched. In case there 
is not room, he must put on extra coaches. Some 
cars are divided into small compartments with only 
one long seat across the car and a bunk which can be 
let down like a berth in an American sleeping car. 
These compartments are for two persons, and are 
convenient for a man and his wife. Usually the com- 
partments have the three long seats and two bunks to 
be let down, and they will give sleeping accommoda- 
tions for five persons. The Editor and his wife got 
into adjoining compartments, and had no trouble in 
discovering the use of the bedding which our host 
had provided for us, for the car was bare. The agent 
at Calcutta had reserved lower berths for us by wire, 
and our names were on the placards. The night was 
pleasantly spent, and the morning found us at Siliguri. 
What could travelers do in stuffy Pullman cars in 
India? B}^ the present system each passenger can 

182 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

have a comfortable bed at night, if he brings it, with- 
out extra cost; and the fresh air which he breathes 
will counteract all evil influence which may be occa- 
sioned by flying sand or other creatures. 

Siliguri, fifty miles from Darjeeling, was reached at 
six o'clock. The coolies cared for the luggage while 
we had chota hasari. What a dwarf railroad is that 
which takes the passengers from Siliguri to Darjeel- 
ing, with its track only two feet wide and its cars 
large enough for only eight persons and high enough 
only for those who sit! The luggage could not be 
taken into the car, but had to be put into the parcel 
van. The height of the car from the ground would 
not prevent a child from stepping out at any time. 
The engineer is not allowed to run the train at a 
greater speed than seven miles an hour. There were 
times when it seemed that this order had been totally 
disregarded, for the turning of short curves when the 
passengers were looking over a precipice more than a 
thousand feet high made all movement seem rapid. 
The first seven miles were made over a practically 
level road, but through a great jungle in which hunt- 
ers find the elephant, the tiger, the leopard, and other 
ferocious beasts. On the return trip great torches on 
the engine gave the forest a spectral lighting which 
produced "creepy" feelings with the Americans, espe- 
cially as a fellow-passenger insisted that the lights 
were to scare away the beasts. He also told of a 
tiger who a few years ago got on the track, and the 
train was compelled to stop and await the pleasure of 
his Bengal highness. However, we saw nothing ex- 
cept a few harmless monkeys doing their feats in their 
native woods, and I felt no disappointments, as I had 

183 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



no desire to see tigers or worse. A strong iron frame 
adds to the beauty of these enemies of human flesh. 

The mountain scenery the entire fifty miles is un- 
rivaled in its beauty and grandeur. The little train 
climbed continually and crossed its track many times 
in the ascent of a mountain. Some complete loops 
were made in a distance of a few hundred feet. In 
several places the reversing station was used. The 
train would stop in its climb, open a switch, back up 
the incline a few hundred feet, stop, open a switch, 
and move forward. By this operation the train would 
be Hfted twenty to thirty feet above its first position. 
Not only did the superb mountain scenery entertain 
me, but I was greatly interested in the immense tea 
gardens that cover these great mountain sides. No 
finer tea is to be found in the world than that of Dar- 
jeeling and its district. Many Europeans have be- 
come very wealthy through the tea industry. The tea 
bush is a shrub not more than two feet high, with 
thick branches heavily leaved, and has a circumference 
of four or five feet. The leaves that are plucked for 
the market are only the two that have just budded 
and are only a few days or a week old. These leaves 
are taken by laborers, and in the course of ten days 
other new leaves will have taken their place and be 
ready for plucking. The leaves are dried and rolled 
and passed through four to six processes before they 
are ready for the market. The green tea that is so 
well known in America is rolled only once. The people 
in India do not understand why any one should use 
the green tea. As I have no taste for the concoction, 
I could furnish no explanation. 

Darjeeling, at a height of more tlian 7,000 feet, is 
1S4 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

as exhilarating- in its ozone as it is intoxicating in its 
sublimity. We forgot the intense heat of Calcutta on 
these mountain heights. We had been told that from 
Darjeeling we would see the highest mountain peaks 
in the world. Mt. Everest, towering 29,000 feet, and 
graceful Kinchin junga, with its 28,156 feet, are the 
attractions which Darjeeling offers to tourists. Un- 
fortunately for us, a dense haze hid from us these lofty 
summits, and we were forced to join the great major- 
ity who visit the mountain city for the superb moun- 
tain view and who come away without a glimpse of 
the snow-capped peaks. If we may believe those who 
have been blessed with the views from Darjeeling and 
Tiger Hill, no grander or more thrilling sight is per- 
mitted to man than a clear view of Mt. Everest and 
Kinchinjunga. But fully as interesting as the moun- 
tains are the mountaineers, and in them v/e were not 
disappointed. Here India and China meet, and the 
Tibetans and the Bhoutans are the sturdy mountain 
tribes that are represented in the hill capital of the 
Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. The habits of these 
rugged folk may be surmised by the warlike relics 
which are sold in the curio shops, while the athletic 
bodies of the street laborers showed the influence of 
their mountain life. They have more characteristics 
of the Chinese than of the Indians. Religiously they 
are for the most part Buddhists. The Christian mis- 
sionary finds them as accessible as any other people 
to whom he may speak. But mountaineers in Asia, 
as in America, need only the advantages which the 
school and the Christian Church can bring to make 
them leading citizens in their respective countries. 
Darjeeling is the summer resort not only for the 
1S5 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Lieutenant Governor of Bengal and his attendant offi- 
cials, but for the high social set that seek to escape 
the heat of Calcutta and neighboring cities. Wherever 
Englishmen congregate in the East will be found all 
the accommodations for their outdoor sports. Exer- 
cise in the open air, with walking, riding, driving, 
hunting, and games of all kinds, keep the sons of 
Edward in good physical condition even against the 
evil habits which their thirsts have too frequently cre- 
ated. The visit to Darjeeling was full of intense in- 
terest because of the unrivaled scenery which the haze 
could not hide, the novel experiences on the baby 
railway, and the fine lessons in traveling in the British 
Empire, and because of the glimpse into the life of the 
people of the Himalayas. 

186 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Benares and Lucknow. 

BENARES is a twelve hours' ride by the fast mail 
train from Calcutta, and most of the journey is 
made at night. It is situated on the left bank of the 
sacred Ganges River, in the most fertile section of 
India. The broad rice and indigo fields fill the great 
valley, and the population of the entire section is very 
dense. One-fifth of the 300,000,000 people of India 
live on one-twentieth of its area, two-thirds live on 
one-fourth of the land, while three-fourths of the 
country is sparsely settled. The people are very large- 
ly agricultural, and it is estimated that ninety per 
cent of them live in the villages. They are compelled 
to sustain themselves by the fruits of the soil ; and 
when for lack of rain or other cause the harvests are 
cut short, a famine must result and thousands and 
even millions of them die. In the last twenty-five 
years about 20,000,000 people have died in the famines. 
One of the great problems before the English govern- 
ment in India is how to prevent famines. The rains 
are dependent upon the monsoons, which are the winds 
that come from the southwest, bringing the moisture 
of the sea. The moisture is precipitated when it comes 
into contact with the dry, cold atmosphere of the 
mountains of the north. These monsoons break in 
June and continue for six or eight weeks, after which 
the harvests are possible. The rains in the late fall 
or early winter insure the grain harvests in the early 

187 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

spring. But scarcely a year passes that does not re- 
cord the faikire of crops in some sections and the con- 
sequent famine as a result. The tourist who sees In- 
dia in November will think of it as a garden spot, 
but one who sees it in the last half of April can un- 
derstand what the word "famine" means. Such a 
parched, desolate land I had never before looked upon. 
There was no sign of grass or other vegetation except 
an occasional cluster of trees. The farmers were not 
trying to break the soil, but were waiting in the great 
dust and the intense heat for the coming of the mon- 
soons. How much does India need China's great 
canal, with its wonderful network of waters ! The 
government has already done much in this direction, 
as it has built 7,000 miles of main-line canals and 
27,000 miles of distributing canals, which furnish wa- 
ter to about 12,000,000 acres, most of which is in the 
United Provinces and in the Punjab. Besides the area 
irrigated by the government canals, it is calculated 
that about 18,000,000 acres are irrigated by means of 
tanks, wells, and lakes. It is claimed that the area 
irrigated by one means or other in India is greater 
than that in the entire rest of the world. Nevertheless, 
India has more sufferers from famine than all the rest 
of the world, and the only hope of making famine 
impossible is in irrigation, which can come only by 
canals. The government has set itself about the task 
of providing a great canal system, and it is to be hoped 
that the presence of England in India will be justified 
in all the ages by the system of irrigation which she 
gave the country, if by nothing else. By irrigation 
and the use of fertilizers after the manner of the Chi- 
nese and Japanese India may remove her poverty and 

188 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

provide for herself the comforts and accommodations 
of a worthy national life. But no people can rise high 
in the scale of intelligence or morality until they can 
get rid of the dirt and filth which poverty imposes. 

The holiest, dirtiest, most revolting city in India is 
Benares, the Mecca of Hinduism. The drought had, 
of course, discounted its usual appearance ; but it hard- 
ly seemed possible that anything beautiful — vegetable, 
animal, or psychical — could grow in that place. The 
business streets are only alleyways, the shops are dirty, 
cramped booths, and the places we will call homes — 
although the word does not apply — are disreputable 
in appearance. It must be remembered, however, that 
Indians do not need large business houses or com- 
modious dwellings, although the rich may have both. 
The shopkeeper will close his place of business and 
lie down on the sidewalk in front and sleep, without 
pillow or covering, until morning or until he is unduly 
disturbed. In many instances, as in China, he may 
have his family in another city, to which he will go 
at the end of the season ; and even if his family is in 
the same city, his apartments may be in a different 
house from that of his family. One Hindu gentleman 
invited my wife to go with him to see his wife and 
family. He could not invite me, as the women are 
not allowed to see or be seen by other men than their 
husbands or brothers or fathers. After that visit he 
invited us both to visit his apartments, which were in 
a house on the opposite side of the street. The wife 
prepares the husband's meal, but she is not allowed 
to eat it with him. The men and boys of the family 
eat, and after them the women and girls. When the 
woman walks or drives in the street, her face is veiled ; 

189 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



and in driving or riding in the chair the doors of the 
carriage are closed and the curtains are drawn and 
she is hid from the world. The woman is a prisoner 
in her own home. The only hope of doing missionary 
work among the women is in women missionaries en- 
tering the home to teach fancywork or on some other 
pretense. This is called "zenana" work, and through 
it some intelligent women have achieved good results. 
Women of the laboring class are not bound by these 
social restrictions, but may be seen at any time. 

Benares is a city of temples and ghats, and to it the 
devout make sacred pilgrimages, as do the Moham- 
medans to Mecca, The Hindu believes firmly that the 
Ganges has divine qualities, and that its waters will 
cleanse from sin and insure entrance into the heavenly 
world. So he bathes in this stream, drinks its water, 
hopes to die on its bank and have his ashes borne 
away on its bosom. The ghats (pronounced "gots") 
are steps which lead from the top of the bank down 
into the river. In the early morning in Benares the 
whole riverside for two miles is covered with people 
who come for their bathings. They enter the stream, 
dip themselves three times, pour water on their heads, 
lift the water with their hands, drink a small amount, 
and worship the stream and the rising sun. Some of 
them are very devout in their worship, while others 
are as some worshipers in the Christian Churches in 
the United States. They wash their garments before 
leaving the stream, and skillfully dress themselves 
without exposure. The women have a section reserved 
for them, but nothing separates them from the men, 
although they may come to the river in a closed car- 
riage. As the worshipers leave the river they usually 

190 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

stop to have the priest, who sits under a large bamboo 
umbrella, put the marks on their faces and foreheads 
which will indicate the caste to which they belong. 
Hinduism is the teacher and supporter of caste. The 
Mohammedans, the Parsees, the Buddhists, and the 
Sikhs are all free from that disgraceful bondage. But 
as there are more than 200,000,000 Hindus in India, 
the caste system may be said to be national. 

The Hindu wants to die on the left bank of the 
sacred Ganges. Should he die on the right bank, his 
soul would be lost in the next world. By the side of 
the bathing ghats are the burning ghats, where the 
funeral pyres are lighted. The sight of these was far 
from pleasant. The bodies of the dead are first taken 
to the river, the feet dipped in the stream, the bottom 
of the feet and the palms stained red with some sacred 
juice, spices thrown upon them, and then the little pile 
of wood into which the body is placed is lighted. 
Every Hindu considers it a calamity if he has not a 
son to light his funeral pyre. The attendants have 
some ceremony, but there is no sign of grief on any 
face. Hinduism does not develop keen sensibilities. 
However, the act of cremation on the banks of the 
sacred stream and the final resting place on the bosom 
of Mother Ganges give the bereaved an assurance 
which casts out all grief. It is said that often the sick 
who are wealthy are hastened in their departure as 
they await the summons on the banks of the river. 
But the whole custom and faith are grewsome and 
exhibit the darkness of heathenism. The government 
cannot interfere with their use of the water of the 
Ganges for bathing or drinking, however great the 
danger of disease, as any Interference would be con- 

191 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sidered restrictions upon worship. A young officer 
told me of a case of a Hindu who was attacked with 
cholera the day previous. He gave him the usual 
stimulants, which brought relief; but at once the man 
walked to the Ganges and drank its waters. In an 
hour he was dead. Through ignorance and supersti- 
tion thousands of people die in India every year in 
the use of what they call holy water. 

Much of the same worship is carried on at Calcutta 
as in Benares, as the Hugli River is a branch of the 
Ganges after it enters its delta. The river Jumna, on 
which Agra is situated, is also considered sacred. 
Some sacred wells are to be found in various parts of 
the empire, and the water in them is as vile as one 
will ever see. Stagnant pools, green from long stand- 
ing, are used for bathing. A public health department 
would find much to do in India, but ignorance and 
superstition must first be driven away before any 
measures could be successfully enforced. However, 
all the worship is not dangerous to public health ; but 
much of it is revolting to fine sensibilities. I visited 
the Kali Ghat, in Calcutta, and so avoided the one in 
Benares. I saw a young kid offered to bloodthirsty 
Kali, the wife of Shiva. The pilgrims buy the goats 
at a small price, and the priests cut off the head and 
take the fresh blood and put it upon the forehead of 
the person making the offering. The pilgrim is al- 
lowed to take the body of his goat and eat it. Kali 
is the goddess of destruction, and she can be appeased 
only by frequent bloody offerings. Her idol is suffi- 
ciently revolting to draw from any devotee any sacri- 
fice. The scene about the temple dedicated to her is 
most disgusting. The priests are so importunate as 

192 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

to pass from the state of beggars to that of highway 
robbers. They held the pilgrims in their arms until 
they surrendered the last pice. The whole Hindu 
priesthood is a debased fraternity for extracting 
money. The priests are ignorant and even vicious, 
and are real social vultures. The Durga Temple, in 
Benares, which is dedicated to bloodthirsty Kali, was 
interesting because it is full of monkeys. The priests 
fed them in our presence, and then asked us to pay 
the bill. The high priest, who would pass for a gar- 
bage collector, came from the high altar of Kali to 
ask for backsheesh. According to the census takers, 
there are four million beggars in India. Judging from 
the specimens which we saw, we are inclined to think 
that some were overlooked. Those who do not beg 
are, always on the receiving hand. 

Our guide took us over the usual river route, and 
pointed out all the ghats, temples, and famous build- 
ings. Many of the Maharajahs have palaces on the 
banks of the Ganges with fine bathing ghats reaching 
into the water. The Maharajah of Benares lives in a 
palace on the opposite bank of the river. He seems to 
be taking some risk in living on the right bank. All 
the Maharajahs of the empire have palaces in Benares, 
which they occupy during the great religious festivals. 
We visited the one owned by the Maharajah of Vija- 
yanagrum, but found nothing distinctly Indian except 
the manifest desire to imitate European people. We 
visited the cow temple, and saw the beautiful fat ani- 
mals that seem to be enjoying their heavenly state. 
In Calcutta I saw a number of holy cows on the street. 
They lay on the sidewalks, ate from the grocery stalls, 
and lazily v/andered through the streets without mo- 
13 19S 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

lestation. The guide showed us the old Juggernaut 
which was once drawn through the streets of Benares 
by sacred elephants, and in which rode the Maharajah 
and the priests. Before its wheels persons would 
often throw themselves and be crushed to death. 
Such a death insured entrance into the world of bliss. 
I saw also the Golden Temple, with its gilded spires; 
the Nepalese Temple, with its indecent carvings, the 
expression of degrading Hinduism. In Calcutta I saw 
the faithful worshiping Shiva by pouring water from 
the holy river on his iron head, by putting choice flow- 
ers on his iron nose, and by fanning with a palm leaf 
his iron face, while a priest muttered prayers and re- 
ceived pice. 

Such is practical Hinduism as it works itself out in 
the public worship of India's millions to-day. Its 
superstitions are gross, its conceptions debasing, and 
its practices revolting in the extreme. It not only 
stultifies the mind and heart of the people, but it im- 
poses a system of caste which is degrading to the 
majority and extremely burdensome to all. Hindu- 
ism as a system of religion is a mixture of cult and 
philosophy. Its practical working, however brilliant 
may be some of its teachings, can never be regenera- 
tive, edifying, or sanctifying. If India is ever to rise 
to a just state of commendable living and thinking, 
she must have a revolution in her religious life. The 
Christian world should not be content for the present 
state to continue, but should increase the missionary 
forces until this dark heathen land shall feel the throb 
of a genuine Christian life. There is much to be said 
of Hindu philosophy and Hindu thought, but Hindu- 
ism as practiced is the rankest heathenism. The force 

194 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

that will correct this vile condition must come from 
without and drive Hinduism to acknowledge its fail- 
ure as a _ religion. India must have Christianity to 
save her from the destruction that her heathen dark- 
ness v/ill inevitably bring. 

Of course I was interested in seeing in Benares the 
fine, expansive buildings of the Central Hindu Col- 
lege, the institution over which Mrs. Annie Besant, 
the theosophist, presides. About two to three hun- 
dred Hindu young men are students in the school. 
But theosophists are as much in the haze as the Hindus 
are in the darkness. The unoccupied society women 
who are spending their hours in theosophical clubs 
and are indulging in their idle and ignorant prattle 
about Hindu philosophy ought to send a delegation to 
investigate the temples, the ghats, the priests, and the 
practices of Hinduism. 

It was a great relief to turn aside from the holy 
things of Benares to the secular. The ornamental 
brasswork which is met with all over the world is a 
specialite of Benares. The skill with which these fine 
pieces of brass are produced is truly remarkable, while 
the carving which is done on ivory is worthy of high 
admiration. The shawls, the silks, and the choice 
embroidery which are produced in the dirty hovels 
of Benares compel the most disgusted tourist to utter 
some kind words about the people of the holy city. 
Much of the spinning is done in the streets, the warp 
is prepared in the alley, while the looms are in nar- 
row rooms with dirt floors. Yet the fabrics that are 
produced receive the admiration of all lovers of the 
beautiful. Factories in India, as in China and Japan, 
do not mean great buildings, but usually small rooms 

195 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



in which workmen sit on the floor and with deHcate 
instruments produce that kind of article that their 
ancestors for generations produced before them. Hea- 
thenism does not mean artistic inefficiency. 

The leave-taking at the hotel in Benares was very 
affecting, and citizens of that holy place showed un- 
usual interest in our departure. We saw a number of 
people, friends indeed because friends in need, whom 
we did not know existed. We had no sooner paid 
our bill in the hotel office than they swooped down 
on us like vultures who scented a subject from afar. 
"I am the table boy," said the bushy-bearded man clad 
in white, with high-built turban. The modest tip was 
bestowed. 'T am the room boy," said the next old 
gentleman in white raiment and with black feet; tip. 
"I am the water boy ;" tip. 'T am the sweeper ;" tip. 
'T am the punka puller ;" tip. "I am the bootblack ;" 
tip. 'T am the man who drove the carriage yester- 
day;" the bill had been paid, but — tip. "We are the 
coolies," said the three men who had put our six pieces 
of hand luggage on the gharry ; tip. 'T am the bear- 
er" (he had brought the hotel bill to me) ; tip. All 
wanted more than I had given, and expressed their 
emotions in broken English. They always want more 
and say so. When I arrived at the station, three 
coolies took the luggage and put it on the train, for 
which they were paid by the railway company; but 
tips they must have. The gharry man, after I paid 
his regular tariff, asked for his tip and received it. 
Just here the guide said modestly : "And now my pay." 
He received it, and the car door closed, not to be 
opened any more to expose us to the affecting fare- 
well of our newly found friends. But such is India, 

196 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



a country of beggars and tiptakers, as well as of 
scholars, poets, and religionists. The white man has 
everything done for him that another person can do, 
and the native expects full compensation and back- 
sheesh in return. Even the station master on the rail- 
roads has favors for travelers when the ring of rupees 
falls on his ears. The native may receive only half so 
much from a native for a piece of work as from the 
white man and with that be satisfied ; but to the white 
man he turns with pleading tone and calls for more, 
if not in compensation, at least as backsheesh. But the 
poor fellows need all they get. 

We took the mail train at Benares at eleven o'clock 
in the morning for Lucknow, the city so intimately 
connected with the events of the Sepoy rebellion. The 
journey was the most uncomfortable which we had 
in India because of the intense heat. The thermome- 
ter registered io8 degrees, and the hot winds almost 
blistered the face. On getting into the coach all the 
windows and screens were closed except a window 
on either side of the car in which there were straw 
mats, which are called tatties. By pressing a button 
water ran down on the straw tatties and saturated 
them. On the outside of the windows were screens 
which caught the air, which was driven through the 
tatties by the force of the running train. The moist 
atmosphere rendered the air in the coach somewhat 
comfortable. We took lunch in the dining car, which 
was similarly cooled, while the punkas, which are 
fans made of a pole from which hangs heavy cloth, 
and which are pulled by a man, kept the atmosphere 
moving. In the hotels punkas are provided, and a 
man sits on the outside of the room, and by a rope 

107 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



through the wall he keeps the fans going all through 
the night. However, frequently heaviness possesses 
the eyes of the punka puller, and the sleeper arouses 
with the unpleasant dreams of suffocation or other 
disasters. The experience of the day's travel from 
Benares to Lucknow was sufficient to convince the 
tourists from the South that only in the night should 
people travel in India during the month of April. 
Frequently passengers of European blood are taken 
from the train overcome by the heat ; but these, as a 
rule, are men who have indulged too immoderately in 
the use of whisky and soda water, the favorite drink 
of Englishmen in India. They claim that the water 
is bad, and consequently they drink liquids that will 
destroy germs. This traveler, who drinks nothing but 
water, carried with him an earthen water bottle, called 
a serai, filled with water which had been boiled by 
missionaries, and which these peculiar bottles kept 
cool. He had no trouble in getting missionaries to 
fill his serai, which would hold a gallon of water. 

On arriving in Lucknow, we drove at once to the 
residence of Rev, C. L. Bare, the President of Reid 
Christian College of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
What a joy to find ourselves in that comfortable home, 
kept cool by its very thick stone walls and the ever- 
moving punkas, and to have the sweet fellowship of 
this faithful missionary and his devoted wife! After 
an hour's rest, Dr. Bare announced that Founder's 
Day was being celebrated at the Isabella Thoburn 
Girls' College, and asked if I cared to attend the ex- 
ercises. I was indeed glad of the opportunity to see 
something of this excellent institution, with its band 
of two hundred girls. We found the yard filled with 

198 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

as happy a company of girls and visiting schoolboys 
as ever assembled on a campus. The faces of the rol- 
licking throng were Indian, but the language and 
the dress were English. The exercises were enter- 
taining, and the singing of Miss Thoburn's favorite 
song, "The Home of the Soul," was very affecting. 
From Benares to Lucknow, from heathen to Chris- 
tian light — what a transition! One woman who was 
educated in the school had returned to these inter- 
esting exercises of her Alma Mater. She spoke ex- 
ultingly of the new church which the native Chris- 
tians were building in her town. When the day for 
laying the corner stone came, the government official 
of the district found that he could not attend to that 
duty, so the officiary of the Church invited this edu- 
cated Christian woman to perform that service. The 
graduates of the school are in great demand as teach- 
ers in the schools of India, while the educated young 
Indians seek their hands in marriage. Miss Thoburn, 
the sister of Bishop Thoburn, performed a great serv- 
ice for her Church and for India when she founded 
this institution. The original building was occupied 
previous to 1857 by the Prime Minister of the king- 
dom of Ouhd, and his council room is preserved in 
' the present commodious building. Miss Nichols, the 
Principal, has secured the house on the opposite side 
of the street and now occupied by the deaconess home 
to be used for the "purdah" girls — that is, girls of 
the higher classes, who must be veiled and not seen 
of men. She will put a tunnel under the street to 
secure a closed passageway for the girls. It is to be 
hoped that while they come in through closed sub- 
terranean channels they will linger to see that light 

199 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which will enable them to walk out at the front door 
into the open ways of God's great world. Only Chris- 
tianity can remove purdahs from the faces and minds 
of the women of India. 

Reid Christian College (named for the Rev. John 
M. Reid, D.D., deceased, once the Secretary of Mis- 
sions for the Methodist Episcopal Church, who gave 
the money for the main building) had its beginning 
in 1866, but was not established as a college until 
1888, when the Rev. B. H. Badley, D.D., was Prin- 
cipal. Its superb site on "Residency Hill," which was 
consecrated in 1857 by the blood of those who fell 
in the mutiny, was obtained as a gift from the gov- 
ernment. The grounds include about thirty acres, 
and are exempt from all taxation. The location is 
high, and commands a wide view of the entire city 
and of the historic "Residency," which is only a few 
hundred feet away. The annual enrollment reaches 
550 to 600 young men. The graduates of the college 
are able to pass the examinations of Allahabad Uni- 
versity, with which the college is affiliated, and re- 
ceive their academic degrees. The Commercial De- 
partment has the indorsement and support of the pro- 
vincial government. In fact, the government has 
been very free in its contributions to the support of 
the institution. At present one of the professors of 
the school, a son of the founder, is making a system 
of shorthand for the Oudhi language, the dialect of 
the province, at the request of the government. Very 
few schools in India are meeting with larger success 
than Reid Christian College. 

Lucknow is the center of Methodism in the north- 
ern and central provinces of India. Bishop F. W. 

200 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Warne has his official residence here. The Publish- 
ing House is one of the largest and most successful 
in the East. Last year the concern made a contribu- 
tion of $8,000 in missionary literature to the missions 
in its territory and cleared $1,300 besides. Meth- 
odism is meeting with unprecedented success among 
the people of this section. For the most part they are 
of the lower castes, but it is found that Christianity 
elevates the people of India until som.etimes an edu- 
cated man from the lower caste is called on to teach 
the children of the higher castes. Nothing is affect- 
ing Hinduism more than to see that Christianity lifts 
its adherents into better stations in life. Sons of 
sweepers, who by the caste system would always be 
sweepers, have been known to rise to positions of 
clerks, with the usual increase in salary. Jesus Christ 
is no respecter of persons, and missionaries may well 
follow his example in their labors. 

Lucknow is fifth in size among the cities of India, 
and has a population of about 275,000, of whom three- 
fifths are Hindus. Religion is the basis of division 
among Indians. Hindus, Mohammedans, Parsees, 
Jews, and Christians are religious designations, al- 
though in the case of the Jews and Parsees they may 
refer to racial extractions. The natives of India are 
Indians. Lucknow, by reason of its parks and gar- 
dens, excellent streets, and fine houses, is one of the 
most attractive cities in the empire. The shops are 
exceedingly interesting, and especially to those who 
admire the Indian silverware. The various articles 
are sold at reasonable figures if the amount of silver 
which they contain is taken into account and also the 
time consumed by a skilled workman in making the 

201 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



highly ornamental article. In other cities of India, 
and especially in Agra, Delhi, Jeypore, and Madras, 
there are many factories which turn out this beautiful 
ornamental silverware. 

To all who are acquainted with the history of India, 
and especially to all English people, Lucknow has 
the keenest attraction because of its position in the 
mutiny of 1857. The old "Residency" is as sacred 
to the historian as Thermopylae or Waterloo or Vicks- 
burg or Port Arthur. In the world-renowned "Resi- 
dency" a force of nearly 3,000 English and natives, 
including 547 women and children, were confined for 
eighty-six days amid the terrible heat of Jul}', August, 
and September; and they endured the most deadly 
sieges ever recorded in the annals of war. The fire 
upon them was almost constant, and the entire hill 
became bloody with the victims of the besiegers and 
the besieged. When relief reached the garrison, on 
September 25, 1857, more than 2,000, or two-thirds 
of the original force, had perished. The gallant Sir 
Henry Lawrence fell in the early days of the siege. 
On the slab that marks the resting place of the great 
Christian soldier, a devout member of the Baptist 
Church, are the words : "Here lies Henry Lawrence, 
who tried to do his duty." Who would not uncover 
his head in the presence of such hallowed dust? With 
great interest I visited the various points of attacks, 
the positions of intrenchment, the line of approach of 
the besiegers and the relief. The old Residency, 
which was the home of the English official, was ex- 
amined from cellar to garret. Baillie Guard, Dr. Fay- 
rer's house, in which Sir Henry Lawrence died, the 
old cemetery where the church stood, and where mon- 

202 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

uments have been erected to the memory of those 
who fell in the terrific siege, Vv^ere visited with a sense 
of reverence. Every foot of the ground seemed 
sacred, and the recital of the events of the siege made 
vivid the awful events of the memorable Sepoy re- 
bellion. The entire territory from Lucknow to Cawn- 
pore and from Cawnpore to Agra and Delhi furnished 
the great battlefields for the bloody struggle, and to- 
day supplies the historians with incident for the record 
of the great mutiny. England will take no chances 
again with her native troops, but will hold them where 
they will do service for the empire and no injury to 
the governments. 

Lucknow was the brilliant capital of the kingdom 
of Oudh until 1856, when the kingdom was annexed 
by the British government, and the reputation of its 
splendor filled the whole of India. The Mohammedan 
rulers built palaces, mosques, and tombs that still add 
grace, beauty, and magnificence to the famous city; 
and the tourist of to-day will be richly entertained 
by visits to these superb pieces of architecture. The 
great mosque is very commanding in its proportions 
and its general aspect. The outer gate, which leads 
into the grounds, is as fine a piece of ornamental work 
as one will find in such structures in all India. The 
approach to the mosque is by a flight of expansive 
steps. The broad, open court, the tall minarets, the 
marble-covered worshiping places combine to impress 
even the casual observer with the dignity and rever- 
ence of the place. Just beyond the mosque are the 
beautiful Victoria Gardens. The superb statue of the 
late Queen and the Empress of India, built on the old 
palace grounds, has recently been unveiled. It hon- 

203 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ors the citizens of Lucknow, as well as the memory 
of the great woman. The tombs of some of the rulers 
are also in the grounds of the palace, and they ex- 
hibit rriuch barbaric splendor. The Kaiser Bagh is 
the great palace which contained the immense harem 
of the king. In its extensive court are also the build- 
ings in which the king held his councils and from 
which he ruled his country. But these are the relics 
of a day which has gone, never to return. The future 
may bring its changes for the present state of things, 
but the old regime can never be restored. India's 
new day may not have completely dawned, but the 
midnight of the old is fully passed. Such an insti- 
tution as Channing College, with its magnificent build- 
ings and liberal equipment, located on the choicest 
grounds in Lucknow, is the symbol of the new time. 
The new learning will liberate the people from the 
ideas that made the old kingdom of Oudh possible. 
A new light, even the Light from the star that the 
wise men of the East saw, will yet permeate the mind 
of India, and this dark people shall come into the con- 
sciousness of their own powers and possibilities. 

204 



CHAPTER XV. 
The Capitals of the Moguls. 

AGRA holds a strong place in the esteem of the 
world, not so much because it is one of the 
largest cities of India, having a population of 200,000, 
nor because it was once the capital of the nation and 
the abode of kings, but because of some extraordinary 
pieces of architecture which it possesses. The world 
cares very little about Shah Jehan or his famous 
grandfather, Akbar the Great ; but it does bow itself 
in admiration before the great works of art which 
these men had produced for the adornment of their 
halls of government, places of residence and houses 
of worship, and the tombs in which their ashes rest. 
The things that live in this world and which humanity 
will always treasure are those which exhibit thought 
and feehng and manifest high psychic qualities. Art 
is not an imitation of nature, but the expression of the 
soul of man. A beautiful landscape is not a cluster 
of trees -and an expanse of fields and sky, but a cluster 
of ideas and a far vision into the deeper meaning of 
God's world. Architecture is not a massive pile of 
sandstone and marble with towers and domes, but the 
expression of symmetry, unity, thought, and the feel- 
ings and will of a great soul. Agra has a message 
in stone for every spirit that is capable of receiving 
it, and it is because of this message that tourists will 
endure the hardships of severe travel to spend a few 

20.5 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

days in the Fort, at the Taj Mahal, about the tomb 
of Akbar and the majestic ruins of a once proud city. 

We lost no time in reaching the Fort on the morn- 
ing of our arrival, although the night's travel had not 
been pleasant. Changing trains in the wee hours of 
the day is not an agreeable exercise even in America, 
and much less in India. But chota hasari gave us a 
brace, and the hope of a sleep in midday an inspira- 
tion. So before seven o'clock we entered the world- 
renowned Fort, which was built by Akbar the Great 
more than three and a half centuries ago. The walls 
and flanking defenses of red sandstone, with a height 
of about seventy feet, make an imposing appearance, 
while the entrance through the superb Delhi Gate 
gives the traveler the sensation of passing back to the 
feudal days of great castles and barbaric fortifications. 
While the walls of the Fort would not resist long the 
present powerful missiles of war, yet the ugly-mouthed 
cannons which to-day speak defiance to an approach- 
ing foe would be able to hold in check for some time 
an invading force. The Red Jackets were greatly in 
evidence, as are the British military forces everywhere 
in India. Our first stop was at the Pearl Mosque, 
which was built by Shah Jehan in 1648 to 1655 at a 
cost of $100,000; but it could not be produced to-day 
in America for five times that amount. We ascended 
the lofty double staircase and entered through the fine 
gateway of sandstone into the surpassingly beautiful 
courtyard, which measures 234 feet in length and 183 
feet in width. The marble tank in the center, thirty- 
seven feet square, is for the worshiper's ablutions. 
The mosque proper is 149 feet broad, has a depth of 
fifty-six feet, and is lined with marble throughout. A 

206 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

marble cloister runs around the sides of the court, 
over which are the most exquisitely carved archways. 
In the mosque are 570 marble slabs which furnish as 
many places for as many men worshipers ; while on 
the sides are slabs for the women, who can look into 
the mosque only through a beautifully carved marble 
screen. There are no images, no decorations, no 
seats — nothing except a marble stairway and plat- 
form, three feet high, upon which the priest occasion- 
ally stands to read parts of the Koran. The whole 
worship lasts only a quarter of an hour, and consists 
of prayers muttered with the face of the worshiper 
turned toward Mecca. The same prayers are usually 
said at five stated times in the day wherever the wor- 
shiper may be at the hour for worship, but they have 
much more virtue if they are said on Friday in the 
mosque. While I saw many of the faithful bowing 
in the temple, I saw also the soldier at his sentinel 
post at the close of day get on his knees and put his 
forehead in the dust. The Mohammedan never neg- 
lects his duty to pray. In that he might be a worthy 
example to many followers of the Christ. 

The beauty of the Pearl Mosque sharpened the de- 
sire to see the palace of the great Shah Jehan, which 
stands only a few feet away. The palace of red sand- 
stone, with its numerous apartments, graceful arches, 
and majestic colonnades, in which the great Akbar 
lived, would be imposing were it not eclipsed by the 
adjoining marble palaces of his grandson. Words are 
inadequate to a proper description of these specimens 
of architectural splendor. Marble ceilings, marble 
floors, marble walls, marble doors, marble thrones, 
marble bath, all enriched with the most delicate and 

207 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



elaborate carvings of flowers and figures, give a mag- 
nificence that surpasses the work of one's imagination. 
The frescoes and mosaics add a beauty and a rich- 
ness that are fairly intoxicating. The splendid draw- 
ing-room, the superb galleries supported by great col- 
umns of purest marble, the open court, the Audience 
Hall, all adorned in regal splendor, make a scene so 
glorious that man passes with regret and returns in 
memory with delight. But before we left the great 
palace and all its splendid treasures the guide took us 
to the small marble room adjoining the Queen's apart- 
ments, in which the proud Emperor Shah Jehan spent 
the last seven years of his life as a prisoner while his 
ambitious son ruled the nation — a sad but natural se- 
quel to his own selfish and autocratic life. He suf- 
fered that which he had inflicted on his own father 
and from a son who had been trained in the tactics 
of his own school. We stood in the little octagonal 
tower in which he was taken to die at his own request, 
from which he could look out on the great Taj Mahal, 
the superb monument which he had erected to the 
memory of his much-loved Mohammedan wife. No 
ruler has left in India so many enduring works pos- 
sessing genuine architectural worth as Shah Jehan, 
who reigned from 1627 to 1658. 

Quite satisfied with the morning's sight-seeing, we 
returned to the hotel for breakfast. We had scarcely 
finished our meal when Rev. G. W. Guthrie, of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, called and gave us a 
very cordial invitation to go to his home. The invi- 
tation was gladly accepted, for hotel fare in India is 
poor at best ; the cooking peculiar to the country is 
not appetizing to an American. The fact is, the food 

208 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

at the hotel consists chiefly of fish, of which one may- 
well be careful ; mutton, which has its shortcomings ; 
fowl, which is never fat; and potatoes, upon which 
one can always rely. The bread is probably home- 
baked; however, it had no internal or external evi- 
dence that it was not imported. As to beefsteaks, 
good butter, biscuits, corn bread, and such substan- 
tials, they are totally unknown in the Orient. In the 
missionary's home we found comfort, convenience, 
companionship, and complete satisfaction for the 
physical man. Not only did we have excellent help 
in finding the interesting features of Agra, but also 
an opportunity to look into the work of missions as 
it is done all over India. 

As soon as the rays of the vertical sun would allow, 
we went in the afternoon to the exquisitely beautiful 
tomb of I'timad-ud-daulah, the Persian high treasurer 
of Emperor Jahangir and the grandfather of Shah 
Jehan's wife, the lady of the Taj. The tomb is in a 
beautiful garden, and stands on a platform six feet 
high and one hundred and fifty feet square, and is 
itself sixty-nine feet square. At each corner is an 
octagonal tower, and on the terrace of the roof is a 
pavilion twenty-five feet square. The center room, 
measuring twenty-two feet square, contains the tombs 
of the great man and his wife, made of yellow-colored 
marble. The marble latticework of the passages ad- 
mitting light to the interior is very fine. The whole 
of the exterior and much of the interior is of white 
marble with beautiful inlay work. The inlay work is 
the earliest known in India. Agra is famous to-day for 
the very fine inlay work which is done there. The 
tomb is really a gem of rare architectural symmetry 
14 " 209 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



and beauty. From it we went direct to the Taj Mahal 
to look upon its wonderful architecture and catch its 
beauty with every ray of the sinking sun. Those who 
have seen it oftenest say that the best time for a first 
visit is late in the afternoon. 

Mumtaz-i-Mahal was married to Shah Jehan in 
1 615, and died in 1629, and was buried, till the mau- 
soleum was built, in the garden where the Taj stands. 
She was the mother of seven children. She was the 
Emperor's favorite wife. He had also a Hindu wife 
and a Christian wife. This was his Mohammedan 
wife. Sentiment has it that the tomb was the ex- 
pression of the Emperor's deep affection for his wife, 
but there can be no doubt that the thought of his own 
glory and honor had something to do with it. Such an 
affection would be truly wonderful where woman holds 
so subordinate a place. Even to-day the show of affec- 
tion is by no means a characteristic of the people of 
India. They dispose of their dead with little show of 
emotion, while the great famines or scourges of dis- 
ease are looked upon as a divine means for making a 
better chance for those that live. Plague, cholera, 
and starvation bring no terror except to those within 
their clutches. Marriage is a matter of contract, and 
a wife is but a creature through whom man may per- 
petuate himself and his honor. That there is affection 
among the people of India, one must admit; but that 
the Taj Mahal had no other inspiration than the love 
of Shah Jehan for one of his wives, one has the right 
to question. However that may be, the great mau- 
soleum is one of the greatest and finest pieces of 
architecture which the mind of man ever conceived 
or the skill of workmen ever produced. Shah Jehan 

210 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



has the credit for the majestic structure, but the 
honor is not his any more than St. Peter's is the 
work of the emperor or the pope under whom Mi- 
chael Angelo labored. It is said that the Emperor had 
the eyes of the architect put out for fear that he 
would produce some other building that would surpass 
the Taj. While I am not able to substantiate the state- 
ment, yet I am prepared to believe it, for such is the 
spirit of the selfish kings who ruled their 'nation for 
their own glory and impoverished their own people 
for the gratification of their personal desires. The 
sovereignty of such willful rulers exhausted India and 
brought the people to poverty, to ignorance, and to 
helplessness. The world to-day has a new thought 
and a new plan for the heads of nations. 

Whatever may be one's thought as to the Emperor's 
motive for building the Taj Mahal, there can be no 
question that it is the crovv^n of Oriental architecture 
and a masterpiece among the works of man. One can 
readily believe that it required 20,000 men twenty- 
two years to construct such a work of art when one 
examines the delicate and beautiful traceries in marble 
which are to be found in every part of the great tomb. 
The noble structure, S3mimetrical in outline and com- 
manding in proportions, presents an exquisitely beau- 
tiful and faultless picture as one gets his first view 
from the great sandstone gateway. There is an outer 
court 880 feet long and 440 feet wide, while the Taj 
garden makes impressive the approach to the tomb. 
From the gateway to the broad marble terrace is a 
long artificial lake, with a paved walk on each side 
and lined v/ith flowers and foliage of every kind. In 
the quiet lake is a soft reflection of the great building. 

211 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



The central marble platform, on which the tomb 
stands, is eighteen feet high and 313 feet square; 
while the first platform is 1,000 feet wide, 400 feet 
deep, and five feet high. The tomb itself measures 
186 feet on each side, the corners being beveled off 
and recessed into a ba}^ In the center of each side 
is a splendid deep bay sixty-three feet high. The 
height of the walls and parapet over them is 108 feet. 
At each corner rise marble domes, while in the center 
soars the great central dome to a height of 187 feet, 
while the metal pinnacle adds another thirty feet. 
The dome rises eighty feet above the pavement, and 
is fifty-eight feet in diameter. Under the center of 
the dome, inclosed by a trellis screen of white marble 
— the acme of elegance in Indian art — are the tombs 
of the Emperor and his wife. These are not, however, 
the true tombs, as the bodies rest in a vault level with 
the surface of the ground, covered by plainer tomb- 
stones placed exactly below those in the hall above. 

Facts such as these are not difficult to record, as 
they are set down in language that all can read. But 
the beauty, the sublimity, the majesty of the Taj 
Mahal can be expressed only in the emotions of the 
soul for which there is no language. There is not a 
discord in this whole symphony in marble. New 
graces come with the changes at early dawn, in the 
falling day, or even the mellow moonlight. The gar- 
den and the long walk, the minarets and the dome, 
the delicately sculptured ornamentation, and the in- 
laid precious stones all impress the visitor with the 
strange beauty and extraordinary fascination of this 
superior work of architectural art. Perhaps a more 
beautiful and precious style of ornament in architec- 

'212 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ture is not to be found in all the world than in the 
wreaths, scrolls, and frets of the Taj Mahal. How 
strange that such a masterpiece of human art, such 
an achievement of human skill, such a conception of 
the human mind should be found in India, the home 
now of poverty, ignorance, and superstition ! A peo- 
ple that can produce such works and that can give to 
the world the literature of the Vedas should yet feel 
the throb of true national life and rise to the achieve- 
ment of greater things than are accredited even to 
their ancestors. 

A drive of six miles brings the tourist to Secun- 
dra, the location of the tomb of Akbar the Great. 
The mausoleum has four stories, three of which are 
of red sandstone, and the fourth is of white marble. 
A massive cloister runs arotmd the lower story. In 
a plain marble sarcophagus in the vault is the body of 
the great Emperor, the real founder of the Mogul 
Empire ; while on the flat roof of the grand edifice 
is another tomb of Akbar with the most elaborate 
carvings of lilies, ferns, palm trees, and flitting but- 
terflies. This tomb is exceedingly beautiful. The in- 
tense heat prevented us from making the trip to 
Fatehpur-Sikri, the site of the ruins of the once fa- 
mous city. But we saw enough in Agra to be greatly 
impressed with the magnificence of the ancient capital 
of the Mogul Empire. 

The most impressive scene which I had the privi- 
lege of looking upon in Agra was not connected with 
the magnificent Fort or the unrivaled Taj Mahal, but 
with a band of natives in a village on the outskirts 
of the city. The village had no illumination save that 
of the myriad stars. Our carriage was met by a com- 

213 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

pany of boys, who with lanterns conducted us across 
the uneven lots to a place where a company of about 
seventy-five men, women, and children was engaged 
in Christian worship. Two dim lanterns gave the light 
for the audience, one of which was hung on the eaves 
of the house by which the preacher stood. As the 
mud hovel, with its thatched roof and no windows, 
was no higher than the black-skinned preacher, he 
had all the light which the lantern would give. The 
audience was seated on the ground ; but the seats 
were comfortable, as they were made of sand warmed 
by the day's vertical rays. Such singing as came from 
that dusky, sky-clad throng I have seldom heard. 
Not only the words, but also the music was native 
and fascinating in the extreme. Those naked boys 
and sparsely clothed girls would put to shame by their 
full, hearty musical singing half the Sunday schools 
in America. The native preacher was heard attentive- 
ly while he read and expounded the Scriptures. The 
earnest prayer met with hearty response from several 
faithful saints in the audience. The missionary was 
told that some adults and some children were present 
to be baptized. The adults arose, repeated the Ten 
Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, and answered 
the questions propounded in a baptismal service. 
Three grown men, one woman, and nine children re- 
ceived baptism. A more impressive scene I never 
looked upon, and one worth the entire journey to India 
to see. This is the way Christianity begins ; the 
school, the college, the after years of noble service 
will show how it ends. The last in caste may yet un- 
der Christianity be first in the wisdom and power of 
this great Oriental people. 

214 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Delhi is a city of rare attractions, and will hold the 
traveler several days by the numerous objects of inter- 
est which it is able to present. In the first place, the 
railroad station is one of the largest and finest in In- 
dia. Then its streets are broad and beautiful, lined in 
many sections with great trees of luxuriant foliage. 
The shops are for the most part well kept, and the 
wares usually are of excellent quality. The carving 
of ivory and the artistic fashioning of silver and brass 
give a distinctive feature to the native stores. But 
the tourist finds the highest interest in the points made 
famous by the rule of the mighty Moguls or by the 
bravery of the victims of the mutiny. The Sepoy re- 
bellion had its beginning in 1857 in Meerut and Delhi, 
and on account of the size and importance of the lat- 
ter city it saw some of the severest contests of the 
entire struggle. Ludlow Castle, the Mutiny Monu- 
ment, the St. James Church (whose dome cross was 
pierced by many bullets), the Cashmere Gate (the 
place where Nicholson fell)^ the position of the old 
magazine which the brave Lieutenant Willoughby ex- 
ploded were all visited with a sense of patriotism. 

As at Agra, so at Delhi the first morning was given 
to the great fort and palace which was built by the 
Emperor Shah Jehan 1638-48. Entering the Lahore 
Gate, we passed under an imposing archway which 
makes a noble entrance to the grounds of the old pal- 
ace. Where this vaulted arcade ends in the large 
open court were massacred fifty Christians in 1857, 
while in some of the adjoining rooms some govern- 
ment officials were murdered by the mutineers. From 
these scenes we were ushered by the old guide, who 
conducted President Grant, Bishop Phillips Brooks, 

215 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and other such Americans through the old palace, into 
the magnificent Public Audience Hall, a large building 
of red sandstone open on three sides, and with many- 
massive pillars elaborately carved. We were attracted 
to the marble throne, eight or ten feet high, whose 
rich marble canopy is adorned with mosaics in pre- 
cious stones of flowers, fruits, birds, and beasts. A 
Florentine artist, who has been engaged the last three 
years in renewing the inlay work of the recess of the 
throne, is just completing his work, and the throne is 
now as beautiful a piece of art as one will find in 
Delhi. From here we passed into the Hall of Private 
Audience, where kings, princes, and nobles were re- 
ceived. This pavilion, open on all sides, is built wholly 
of white marble inlaid with precious stones. The im- 
mense columns of marble, with graceful arches, are 
richly ornamented with inlaid flowers and birds of 
precious stone. The silver ceiling was removed by 
the Mahrattas when they captured Delhi. Neverthe- 
less, the hall possesses a beauty which is unsurpassed. 
The veteran guide pointed out the famous Persian in- 
scription on the cornice, which, translated, says: 

If heaven can be on the face of the earth, 
It is this ; O ! it is this ; O ! it is this. 

The hall has many historical connections, and has been 
the scene of many brilliant functions. In January, 
1876, the Prince of Wales (now the King of En- 
gland) was given a ball in this hall by the army of 
India on the occasion of his visit ; and in honor of his 
coronation a second ball was given in January, 1903. 
But the hall is scarcely more magnificent than the 
royal marble baths, the eMquisIlely beautiful lattice- 

216 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

work in the queen's apartments, and the rich carvings 
in the royal chambers. The little "Pearl Mosque" of 
white and gray marble, with its beautiful bronze door 
covered with rich designs, made a place of worship 
for the ro3'al family which was as charming as it was 
sacred. Surely an emperor who planned so exten- 
sively for his own aggrandizement and who has left 
so few great works which he constructed for the good 
of his people needed a place of prayer near at hand. 
Not palaces but institutions mark the greatness of a 
mighty sovereign. 

The present Delhi is the tenth city of that name, the 
first having been founded before the Christian era. 
The extensive ruins of the other nine cities lie south 
of the present one and cover an area of forty-five 
square miles. Each king who desired to build a cap- 
ital according to his own design would have destroyed 
the city that he found. A visit to these ancient ruins 
will bring one to the splendid tomb of the Emperor 
Humayun, the father of Akbar the Great, and the 
great fort in which he died, and to a large number of 
mosques and mausoleums, all built of costly material 
and constructed with splendor. But one tires of the 
tombs, even though they contain the treasures of the 
dead centuries, and turns instinctively to the people 
that live and to the institutions that have to do with 
the present status of civilization. Delhi is one of the 
most interesting cities of the Orient, whether it be con- 
sidered from the standpoint of the great Mogul cap- 
ital or the storm center of the mutiny or the people 
who now infest its streets and carry on its business. 
But however ridiculous the change, I was glad to turn 
from the splendid marble palaces to the great caravan 

217 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of homely, lazy camels that awkwardly drew them- 
selves through the streets, or to the barefoot woman 
with a half dozen anklets on each ankle, two silver 
rings on the great toe of each foot, a burden of brace- 
lets on each arm, enormous rings in each ear, while 
a nose stud or a large gold ring ornamented her facial 
promontory. The men often attract attention by their 
inordinate affection for earrings, toe rings, silver belts 
and necklaces. Then the motley throng, with the tur- 
baned, white-sacked Mohammedan, the Hindu with a 
red spot in his forehead or three stripes across his 
brow or yellow and w4iite paint about his eyes or the 
little tuft of hair waving in his crown, or the high- 
classed Brahman with his cotton string which marks 
his highness whether he appears on the streets clothed 
or otherwise, and all the various costumes or lack of 
them, make a scene of which one seldom tires. As 
one passes a stream one finds the great laundries of 
the Indian city. They are called "dhobies." But one 
experience with a dhobi robs one of all regard for him 
or his spelling. He brings the clothes to the river 
bank, and takes his stand in the water, knee-deep. His 
washboard is a stone slab three to four feet long and 
two to three feet wide, and with grooves across which 
will occasion sufficient friction to remove dirt, buttons, 
or anything else. He takes a garment, dips it in the 
water, and, taking hold of one end, he thrashes it 
against the stone until it shows the desired change. 
Women usually find the changes in their well-beaten 
garments, while men find ruffles and fringes on their 
new collars and shirts. Starch is used sparingly, and 
the garment soon returns to the dhobi or the tailor. 

218 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The native makes life for the tourist in India very 
interesting. 

Afer a drive through the streets of Delhi it is well 
to stop at the Jami Musjid, the most famous mosque 
in India and the largest in the world. On Friday of 
each week 4,000 people gather at one o'clock within 
its courts to pray. It is not unlike the great Pearl 
Mosque in the fort at Agra ; but it is much larger, 
has two noble minarets, and is designed to produce a 
pleasing effect externally. It is raised on a lofty base- 
ment, and its three noble gateways are approached by 
grand flights of steps. The quadrangle is 325 feet 
square, in the center of which is a marble basin and 
fountain where the worshipers devoutly wash their 
hands, face, and mouth before they enter the place 
of prayer. Around the quadrangle runs a stone clois- 
ter fifteen feet wide. The mosque proper is 200 feet 
broad and 90 feet deep, into which the visitors could 
enter only after they had slipped cloth covers over 
their shoes. Each marble slab in the floor was marked 
by a black border and formed the kneeling place for a 
single worshiper, while the marble stairway in the 
center by the recess in the wall furnished the pulpit 
for the priest. In the corner of the court is a pavilion 
from which relics of Mohammed the prophet were 
shown us. We looked upon the impress of his foot 
in marble, a pair of his slippers, and upon his one red 
beard, and turned away, doubting. 

Mohammedanism is strongest in Northern India, 
Bengal being the home of more than 25,000,000, the 
Punjab of 12,000,000, and the United Provinces of 
7,000,000 of the 62,000,000 Moslems in the empire. 
The Mohamimedan reign in India began about lOOO 

219 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

A.D., and continued through eight dynasties till 1761. 
The powerful line of conquerors were the Mongols, 
of which Tamerlane was the first, although Baber, 
his grandson, was the first to hold the title of em- 
peror. Akbar the Great, the grandson of Baber, 
reigned from 1556 to 1605, and was the greatest sov- 
ereign that India ever had, although his grandson. 
Shah Jehan, is more noted for the splendor of his 
reign. Auranzeb undermined the dynasty by attempt- 
ing to impose the Moslem faith upon the Hindus, and 
the Mahrattas arose as the new Hindu power. The 
domination of the Mohammedans in India was cruel, 
as it is and always has been everywhere. For many 
centuries India has had no unity or sense of national- 
ity, and genuine patriotism is unknown among the 
people. The bulk of the population is indifferent as 
to what power rules India so long as opportunity is 
given to live peacefully and with little struggle. Great 
Britain could not hold India were it not for the igno- 
rance and poverty of the masses and their utter lack 
of national spirit. It has always been true that lead- 
ers of native soldiery can be used to maintain the 
authority of the government in control. India was 
won for England by armies four-fifths of which were 
native troops, and two-thirds of the forces in the gar- 
rison to-day are natives. England has made a very 
small outlay in men or money to win and to hold the 
empire of India. A weak, lazy, indifferent people ask 
only for small taxes, few demands, and large benefits. 
It is very doubtful if such a people is capable of self- 
government. The rulers of the native provinces, when 
left alone, seem utterly incapable of governing for the 
betterment of the people. They seek only personal 

220 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

aggrandizement and barbaric display. The Indian 
shows very few qualities that would make him capable 
of being a world citizen. 

The form of administration of the British govern- 
ment in India is not radically different from that in 
the colonies. The supreme authority, subject to the 
control of the Secretary of State for India, is vested 
in the Viceroy and his council of six members, who 
are the Commander in Chief of the Army in India, 
the Secretary of the Department of Home and Reve- 
nue, the head of the Department of Public Works 
(which includes railways and irrigation), the Secre- 
tary of Finance, the Chief Justice, and the Secretary 
of the Military Department. Under the Home Depart- 
ment are the Departments of Justice, Police, Prisons, 
Education, Public Health, Asylums, Local Govern- 
ments. Commerce, excise, and stamps of all kinds 
are subject to the Financial Department. The Postal 
and Telegraph Departments are administered by two 
Director Generals under the control of the supreme 
government. The army, which consists of about 80,- 
000 British troops and 170,000 native soldiers, with 
22,000 native reserves, 16,000 imperial service troops 
furnished by the native States, and 30,000 European 
and Anglo-Indian volunteers, is under the control of 
the Commander in Chief and under the direct orders 
of Lieutenant Generals commanding the Bombay, 
Madras, Bengal, Burma, and Punjab Army Corps. 
The resignation of the high-spirited, keen-visionedj 
superior Lord Curzon from the viceroyalty was due 
to the supreme command of the army of India being 
in the hands of the Commander in Chief rather than 
in the Viceroy's. 

221 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



At the head of each province is a Governor, a Lieu- 
tenant Governor, or a Chief Commissioner. The Gov- 
ernors of Bombay and Madras are appointed by the 
government at London, as Bombay and Madras are 
still presidencies, as is Calcutta, according to the rights 
vested in the old companies that formerly controlled 
. them. The Governors of Bombay and Madras are as- 
sisted by a council of two members ; and in these gov- 
ernments and those of the Lieutenant Governors of 
Lower Bengal, the United Provinces of Agra and 
Oudh, the Punjab, and Burma is a provincial legis- 
lative council with powers to deal with certain limited 
classes of legislation. The legislative council of the 
Governor General includes the members of the execu- 
tive council and a number of additional members offi- 
cial and nonofficial. The majority of the nonofficial 
members are selected by the Viceroy. Among the 
nonofficial members are several native gentlemen, but 
their votes are too few to control legislation. There 
is a native council, but its resolutions are no more 
than advisory. The Englishman claims the owner- 
ship of India, and the Indians are to be governed and 
not to govern. It is true that there are some districts 
governed by native rajahs or maharajahs, but always 
with the assistance of a British councilor, whose advice 
is never disregarded. Many of these maharajahs have 
considerable wealth and live in barbaric splendor, but 
their days of real power have already had their sunsets. 

The provinces are divided into districts over which 
are commissioners. These districts are divided into 
smaller territories over which are magistrates. Each 
magistracy is composed of a certain number of vil- 
lages for whom a headman is responsible. With this 

222 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



system the whole empire is readily reached by the 
general government. The management of the local 
concerns of municipalities and district boards is large- 
ly in the hands of members of the native community 
selected or elected. A large number of the magistrates 
and subcollectors are natives. It seems to be the policy 
of the government to employ the native people in the 
administration affairs as far as possible. But of the 
150,000 people in India who are British-born at least 
three-fourths are connected in some way with the gov- 
ernment. While the whole system is utterly foreign 
to the thought and training of an American, yet no 
casual observer can fail to be impressed with the won- 
derful achievements which the British government has 
brought about for the good of the Indians and which 
would have been impossible under any native govern- 
ment. The cities have good systems of waterworks. 
The parks and public buildings and the good streets 
in certain sections have all come by British rule. 
Large military post^ are maintained in the great cities, 
and facilities for travel have been provided and are 
managed by the government. It is true that India 
has paid the bill in every case and usually without the 
opportunity of sanctioning the outlay, yet there has 
been no waste of resources. However, the day has 
already arrived when the natives are demanding great- 
er rights in the management of their national affairs. 
An outsider cannot fail to view this movement with 
great interest, as it may possibly be the first stages of 
the awakening of a nation whose history has not been 
wanting in literature which has won the admiration of 
all scholars, nor in philosophy which has affected the 
thought of the world. 

223 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



It is claimed that "taxation in India is lighter than 
in any other civilized country in the world." Never- 
theless, it is true that the government is very ex- 
pensive. The Viceroy receives a salary of $100,000 a 
year, the Lieutenant Governors of $50,000 to $60,000 
a year. British standards of life must be maintained, 
and salaries must be sufficiently large to tempt com- 
petent men to a life of exile. So salaries are high — 
the best paid to civil service officials in the world — 
and the pensions are ample. The great army of civil 
servants and the large bodies of troops must be sup- 
ported by the native treasury. But the worst feature 
of it all is that the foreign occupation crushes the 
native spirit, for a native is always servile in the pres- 
ence of the v/hite Anglo-Saxon. The only force that 
will lead to the development of the people is a meas- 
ure of self-government. Great Britain can well afford 
to have Indians in her House of Commons. If she 
cannot bring the Indians to the capacity for self-gov- 
ernment, she may well ask what has been the benefit 
of her long years in the East. India is no place for 
forage ; and if it is held by the British crown only 
for political and industrial gain, then one may ask, 
How much better is her ultimate outcome than that of 
the mighty Moguls ? Her schools must make men and 
not merely official servants. Her institutions must 
build up a great national spirit, as well as afford tem- 
poral comforts. England has her problems in India, 
and the world awaits the solution. 

224 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Jeypore, Ahmedabad, and Bombay. 

ONE night's travel brought us from Delhi to Jey- 
pore ; and by half past six o'clock in the morning 
we were on the streets of the latter interesting city, 
being entertained by the ever- fascinating panorama 
of Indian life. The market places were alive with the 
vegetable venders sitting on the ground with their 
small bags or baskets of commodities at their sides. 
No sale, however small, was made without much bar- 
gaining. The asking price is a variable in the mind 
of the seller, while the selling price is the resultant of 
two Oriental forces meeting on the plane of a pice. 
Nothing is bought or sold in the market without the 
scales ("balances") being used. The word of an Ori- 
ental does not weigh much, and consequently he is 
compelled to use the standards in delivering his goods. 
But that great street, broad and clean (for India), 
thronged with people of all the castes known to a 
Hindu, clad in all the costumes known to the Indian 
mind, made a scene which any man may well cross 
the oceans to look upon. If life is to be seen in India 
at its fullest and keenest, the observer needs to visit 
the bazaars. Now, a bazaar is not a large department 
store, such as Wanamaker's or Marshall Field's, but 
a street lined and even filled with what might be called 
booths, at which things known and even dreamed of 
are sold. In Rangoon the municipal government has 
built a large markethouse, in which there are stalls at 
15 225 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which merchants of all kinds sell their wares ; but in 
India the bazaar is simply the market place in the 
street, which is lined with shops and filled with the 
most interesting mass of humanity that ever man at- 
tempted to study. The booths (for such are almost 
all the Indian stores) are eight to ten feet wide, six 
feet deep, and six feet high. The floor is raised about 
two feet above ground. The customer stands on the 
outside in the street, for there are no sidewalks, and 
the merchant sits on the floor and shows his goods, 
makes his prices, and says : "How much you give me ?" 
The number of witnesses to any bargain or even bar- 
gaining would be sufficient to establish the truth of any 
statement in any court; for if there is anything that 
Orientals enjoy, it is the bargaining in a bazaar; and 
they flock to the side of every purchaser as birds to 
a shock of grain. One can get no idea of the worth of 
an article from the price that is asked. Only yesterday 
I saw a lady purchase for one dollar and a half a fan 
for which ten dollars was asked, while a shawl for 
which thirty dollars was demanded sold for ten dollars. 
In India bargaining is necessary in all trading, and 
those who do not know the art pay for their igno- 
rance. 

Jeypore, a city of 160,000 people, is the capital of 
the province of Jaipur in the great section known as 
Rajputana; and the present chief is His Highness 
Maharajah Dhiraj Siwai Sir Maddho Singh, G. C. S. 
L, G. C. V. O. By the permission of the British Resi- 
dent, whose influence at the court is greater than that 
of the Maharajah himself, we visited the Maharajah's 
palace, with its beautiful gardens and pleasure grounds 
adorned with playing fountain, artificial lakes, fine 

226 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

trees, and flowing shrubs. The marble halls for pub- 
lic audience and the magnificent chamber for pri- 
vate audiences might have been more impressive had 
we not so recently looked upon the splendor of Delhi 
and Agra. The apartments for the Maharajah, his 
courtiers, and his wives are gaudily furnished after 
modern foreign patterns. The building is wanting in 
the elements of good architecture. The royal stables 
were extensive and were filled with two or tliree hun- 
dred fine horses, many of them being Arabian steeds, 
while others were from Australia and England. For 
State occasions the native monarch uses a half dozen 
fine elephants, or a half hundred if need be, to trans- 
port his dignity through the streets of his capital. 
The ro3^al carriages were numerous and of all shapes 
and sizes, with decorations suited to all the numerous 
functions for which an Indian prince would need a 
carriage. The Maharajah keeps his soldiers, levies 
his taxes, builds such public works as he desires, and 
carries on a provincial governmicnt under the advice 
of the British Resident. The Rajahs in the Rajputana 
are the most powerful in India, and they have been 
strongly felt for many centuries in the government of 
India. While the Maharajah of Jeypore seems to be 
the royal head of an independent government, yet the 
suzerainty of the English government is readily and 
freely acknowledged. 

Jeypore is spelled "Jaipur" in India, and received 
its name from its famous founder, Maharajah Siwai 
Jai Singh, the celebrated royal astronomer who built 
unique observatories at Benares, Muttra, Delhi, Ujjian, 
and Jeypore. The Observatory is not a building with 
a firmly set tower and large movable instruments such 

227 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



as are used to-day; but it is a large, open courtyard 
full of curious and fantastic instruments designed by 
him. It was erected in 1718-34, and has been recently 
restored by the present Maharajah through the agency 
of Lieutenant A. Garrett and Pundit Chandradhar 
Galeri. There are instruments for reading altitudes 
and azimuths, for determining celestial latitudes and 
longitudes, and for finding times, movements, and dis- 
tances in the heavenly worlds. Among the acts of 
this old ruler who loved the celestial science was an 
order to secure the translation in Sanskrit of Euclid's 
"Elements," the treatises on plain and spherical trig- 
onometry, and Napier on the use of logarithms. Jai 
Singh has a high place in the world's list of great 
astronomers. These Hindu rulers may have been 
wanting in many qualities that present-day sovereigns 
ought to show, yet they have been patrons of learning. 
The Maharajah College in Jeypore has an attendance 
of 1,200 to 1,400 3^oung men, and compares favorably 
with the other colleges of British India. It is affil- 
iated with the Calcutta University. Public instruction 
is making considerable progress in this principal State 
of the Rajputana. 

As we came into the street from a shop, we found 
a small cart with a red canopy to which were hitched 
two sleepy-looking bullocks. In the cart were two or 
three children, and others in gaudy dress were climb- 
ing in, while a company of women were engaged as 
though they were interested in some social function. 
In front of the bullocks were a dozen men and boys 
fantastically dressed, with strangely shaped musical 
instruments in their hands. 'A wedding," said the 
guide, and then we peered the more earnestly. In 

228 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

climbed the groom, a boy of ten or twelve years, at- 
tired, as much as the occasion demanded, in scarlet, 
with some Hindu spots between his eyes and three 
priestly stripes across his brow, the advertisement of 
a Brahman, The red juice of the betel nut was on his 
lips. He seemed listless, with no interest in the occa- 
sion in which he supposedly was to be the chief actor. 
He was as much interested in us as we were in him, 
and so there was no embarrassment for either party as 
we gazed at each other. After him shortly came a 
little girl, seven to ten years old, with garments of 
scarlet and gold and the red head cloth drawn down 
over her face. That was the bride. Her child's curi- 
osity, however, made her lift her veil to look out at 
us, and as she did so we looked in at her. Anyway, 
her husband had his back turned to her, and so no 
family trouble was caused. When the cart was filled, 
the "band" struck up some native noise and the mar- 
riage procession, made up of a company of gayly 
dressed women and all the elements to be found in 
an Indian street, moved on to its domestic destination. 
The husband and wife, by the laws which the British 
government has enacted, will not be allowed to live 
together until the wife reaches the age of twelve years. 
Should the husband die, the wife would be a widow 
for life, her head would be shaved, and she would be 
treated as the most abject, despised person living, be- 
ing deprived of many kinds of food and being com- 
pelled to fast weekly. She would be looked upon as 
having committed a grievous offense. There are 26,- 
000,000 widows in India, of whom 400,000 are less 
than fifteen years old. There are 9,000,000 wives in 
India tmder fifteen years of age. The worst mis- 

229 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

fortune that can befall a woman, according to the 
belief of a Hindu, is to remain unmarried, as her 
social status and religious destiny depend upon her 
husband. So marriage has become a mercenary trans- 
action, and usually takes place when the bride is a 
helpless babe. Sometimes a child is married to an 
old man if he is a caste higher. He concedes the priv- 
ilege for money. He may have other wives, as polyg- 
amy prevails to a large extent in India. In case of 
a wife's death^ he can marry as often as he desires. 
Formerly the widow was burned on the funeral pyre 
with her husband, but the British government has 
abolished by law that barbarous custom. Womanhood 
is not appreciated in India. Among the Hindus the 
wife is under the mother-in-law. The Mohammedan 
is a hard, dictatorial lord. Among the Buddhists the 
highest hope of a woman is to be reborn a man. Only 
Christianity gives woman her true place as man's com- 
panion. 

The homes of the wealthy natives are capacious and 
frequently have accommodations for two hundred per- 
sons; but the houses of the middle and lower classes 
are gloomy and unattractive. Usually they are dirty 
and are in every way poorly kept. There is little or 
no furniture, no floor but the earth, no chimney, only 
small windows, and they set high ; white cows, buffa- 
loes, bullocks, and their accompaniments are accorded 
a full share of the domicile. The crude bedstead is a 
small frame eighteen inches high, six feet long, and 
three feet broad, bound together by grass cords. A 
blanket makes up the whole quota of bedding. The 
cooking vessels are earthen, while a few brass cups 
and plates, an earthen water jar, and one knife make 

230 





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ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

up the tableware. The rules of caste keep things 
clean. These rules are : Only persons of the same 
caste may eat together ; meals must not be cooked ex- 
cept by a person of the same caste or by a Brahman ; 
no man of inferior caste may touch the rations or en- 
ter the cook room ; no water or liquor contaminated 
by the touch of a man of inferior caste can be used, 
except water from rivers or public tanks ; articles of 
dry food are contaminated only if they pass through 
the hands of an inferior caste buttered or greased; 
cow's flesh, pork, fowl, and similar meats are for- 
bidden. The caste rules also declare that intermar- 
riage between castes is impossible, change of occu- 
pation is forbidden, and an ocean voyage and crossing 
the boundaries of India are not allowed. 

Ahmedabad, once the greatest city in Western In- 
dia and now considered by many critics as one of the 
most beautiful in the empire, is three hundred and 
ninety miles from Jeypore and three hundred and ten 
from Bombay. It has a population of 190,000, and is 
known as a great industrial center. One is struck with 
the blending here of the East and the West, for along 
with the tall chimneys of cotton mills and the flour 
mills will be found some of the most perfect speci- 
mens of Mohammedan architecture to be found in 
India. The city is surrounded by great plains of rich' 
black soil, on which the cotton grows plentifully and 
luxuriantly. Many wealthy Hindus, owners of the 
great mills, have immense palatial homes on some well- 
kept, broad streets which may be called boulevards in 
comparison with the narrow, lanes of the old part of 
the city. The carriage driver was able to show the 
good speed of his Indian pony on the broad thorough- 

231 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

fare ; but in the old quarters he gave loud warning of 
his coming, and the people lined up on either side to 
allow us to pass. In these streets we touched upon 
many homes of those who were confined by lowly cir- 
cumstances to the little cells where fresh air is un- 
known, and where all they look upon is the great 
stream of passing humanity. 

The mosques, temples, and odd ruins are bewilder- 
ing in their number. The traveler scarcely leaves the 
railway station before he sees two lofty minarets 
among the trees, from which the mosque has prac- 
tically disappeared. A few minutes brought us to the 
Jama Mas j id, which is one of the most beautiful 
mosques in the East. The open court, the tank where 
the faithful bathe, and the cloisters all bring to mind 
the temples seen before. From here we went to the 
tomb of Ahmed Shah, the great ruler who gave the 
city its fame, and who died in 1441. The mausoleums 
of himself, his son, and grandson show the artist's 
hand and the splendor of the emperor's reign. Near 
by is another building which contains the tombs of 
Ahmed's favorite wives and also the tiny tombs of a 
dog, a cat, and a parrot. The Tin Darwazah, or 
Three Gateways, is of stone richly carved, and was 
built by Ahmed ; while the Bhadr is a handsome en- 
trance made by Ahmed Shah into an octagonal hall of 
great elegance. Adjoining this structure is the Sidi 
Said's Mosque, which is noted for two of its win- 
dows, which are filled with delicate stone tracery of 
tree stems and branches beautifully wrought. A critic 
has said : "There are some exquisite specimens of 
tracery in precious marbles at Agra and Delhi, but 
none quite equal this." But of the Queen's Mosque 

232 ~ 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and other tombs there is no need that I should write. 
However, mention must be made of the Hathi Singh 
Temple, which was built in 1848 for a million rupees 
by the sects called Jains. It is a beautiful structure, 
with a style of architecture peculiar to that religious 
sect. The entrance is from a courtyard surrounded by 
a corridor, where shoes were removed before the rich- 
ly carved portico was mounted. Every part of the 
temple was paved with colored marble. Passing- 
through the corridor, which extends entirely around 
the temple, one looks through iron gratings to the 
beautiful images which the faithful worship. The day 
happened to be a festal day, and the gold, silver, and 
precious stones were found in profusion on these mar- 
ble images. The Jains are found only in India and 
number only about 1,400,000. Their founder was a 
contemporary of Gautama, and their faith is not great- 
ly unlike Buddhism. They have twenty-four saints, 
and each is known by a symbol. They consider bodily 
penance to be necessary to salvation, and believe that 
even inorganic matter may have a soul. They carry 
their regard for animal life to the extreme. They 
will not kill anything, not even insects. They main- 
tain hospitals for cats, dogs, decrepit horses, diseased 
cows, and such other animals and even insects as can 
be provided for. In Ahmedabad in many streets will 
be found little stone houses richly carved and built on 
stone pillars twelve feet high for the birds who may 
care to live in them. As a people they are wealthy, 
intelligent, and progressive. In the eradication of 
birds or animals th'at may carry any dangerous disease, 
they are great obstructionists ; but in the industrial 

233 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

enterprises which build up a community they are al- 
ways in the lead. 

A visit to the Wells of Dada Hari, just outside of 
the city, not only let us view a unique and strange 
structure that required some skill in engineering, but 
it gave us an opportunity of seeing a large number 
of gray monkeys on the fences and in the trees, run- 
ning at will and feeding upon what they find. They 
are seldom hungry — a thing that cannot be said of 
all the people that we have seen in India, for it is 
estimated that 60,000,000 people in this countr}^ con- 
stantly suffer hunger. It is no wonder that disease 
commits such ravages. But when it is known that 
common laborers make only five to six cents a day, 
it is no surprise that there is hunger. The insane pas- 
sion for jewels is responsible somewhat for many a 
hungry body. The Hindus must have rings in their 
ears, their noses, on their fingers and their toes, brace- 
lets on their arms, anklets on their feet, and all sorts 
of gaudy attire, even if there are children without 
clothes and suffering from the lack of bread, or, more 
properly, millet or rice, for nine-tenths of the people 
live on rice and curry. Millet of many kinds is a com- 
mon article of diet. The wheat for the lowly is not 
prepared in the great flouring mills, but by women sit- 
ting on the ground turning one stone upon another, as 
in Bible times. What the apple, is to America the 
mango is to India ; while bananas, pineapples, lemons, 
limes of many kinds, the jack fruit, and durian grow 
in profusion. Nevertheless, many millions suffer, and 
the cry of famine is ever heard in the land. 

Bombay, with its million people, is a great city and 
in many ways the most beautiful in India. Its build- 

234 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ings rival those of many imposing English cities, while 
its streets in the European quarter cannot be discount- 
ed. The street car system is the best to be found in 
the East. The ^ great Victoria Railway station is the 
finest station in India and one of the finest in the 
world. The style of its architecture is Italian Gothic, 
with some Oriental modifications in the domes. It 
cost $1,500,000. The municipal building, with its tow- 
er two hundred and fifty-five feet high, can be seen 
from all parts of Bombay, and is also a fine piece of 
Gothic architecture. The University Hall, with the 
university library and clock tower, are very imposing 
structures ; while the magnificent Elphinstone College 
would attract attention in any community. The post 
office and the telegraph office, in modern Gothic style, 
are credits to the great city. The old Cathedral of 
St. Thomas, built in 1718, is a historic structure, and 
in it may be found many tablets erected to the memory 
of important personages who have lived and died in 
Bombay. The Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, with ac- 
commodations for one hundred men, is a beautiful 
edifice and one dedicated to a noble cause — the care 
of those who sail the sea. Of the Victoria and Albert 
Museum, the various fine hospitals, the Victoria Gar- 
dens (with their thirty- four acres), the numerous med- 
ical schools, the mint, the immense Court of Justice, 
the Secretariat, and other such excellent public build- 
ings it is not necessary that I should speak. One 
cannot fail to be struck with the superior architecture 
which is to be found in the European quarter of Bom- 
bay. No city in. India offers such driveways in the 
evening as Bombay. Queen's Road, along the beach, 
is the meeting place of the various people of the beau- 

235 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tiful city. The road is deservedly popular as a drive 
because of its beauty and the view which it affords. 
On the one side are high trees reaching far over the 
road; on the other are young palms which break the 
line of brown grass reaching to the sea. From half 
past five to eight o'clock every evening the sight here 
is a gay one. The imposing span and fine victoria 
and scarlet liveries, prancing horses and shabby car- 
riages, rats of ponies with carts to match, the bullocks 
and their slow-moving vehicles, handsomely dressed 
Europeans, Parsee ladies in brilliant saris, and a vast 
throng of pleasure seekers make up a scene to be 
found nowhere else in the world. From Queen's Road 
the drive leads up Malabar Hill, from one side of 
which we had a magnificent view of the great city, 
and from the other side we looked out upon the roll- 
ing sea. We visited the "Hanging Gardens" on the 
ridge, the typically tropical spot of Bombay ; and from 
there we looked across Back Bay to the roofs and 
domes of the city and the great black masses of tall 
palms, and then we turned our faces to the west and 
watched the flaming red sun drop like a ball into the 
glorious sea. We did not wonder that hundreds of 
Parsees, the followers of Zoroaster, sat in humble 
worship before this stirring scene. 

On this same hill, where the wealthy have built their 
palatial residences, are the "Towers of Silence," where 
the Parsees dispose of their dead. There are less 
than one hundred thousand Parsees in India, but 
eighty-five per cet of them live in Bombay. They arc 
the bankers, the merchants, the commercial magnates 
of Bombay, and for the most part they live in ex- 
cellent homes and many of them in great palaces. 

236 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

They are called the "Jews of India" because of their 
capacity for accumulating wealth and because of their 
racial exclusiveness. They came from Persia, where 
they were persecuted. During the American Civil 
War they made immense fortunes in Bombay in their 
dealings in cotton. They are loyal to the British gov- 
ernment because, it is claimed, their commercial in- 
terests compel them to uphold the governlnent that 
will insure the continuance of their prosperity. They 
dress well, and their women present the most beautiful 
costumes to be found in India. They worship the 
sun, and regard fire, the earth, and other natural 
elements as sacred. They consider the dead body as 
unclean, and so to burn it would be to pollute the 
fire, and to bury it would be to pollute the earth ; so 
they expose it to be disposed of by vultures. I visited 
the "Towers of Silence" in company with Rev. C. B. 
Hill, my host, who had secured the permission. There 
are five towers, one being private, one for suicides, 
and the other three for the public. They are cylin- 
drical in shape, and the largest is two hundred and 
seventy-six feet in circumference and twenty-five feet 
high. At eight feet above the ground is an aperture 
in the wall about five and one-half feet square through 
which the body is taken by the carriers, who are born 
to that profession. The towers are within an in- 
closure containing 100,000 square yards, which is en- 
tered by a gateway at the top of a flight of eighty 
steps. At the Parsee funeral the bier is carried by 
four "carriers of the dead," followed by two bearded 
men and a large number of Parsee mourners in white 
robes walking two and two. Prayer is said at a little 
stone building by the temple in which the fire is ever 

237 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

burning. The two bearded men are the only persons 
who ever enter the tower. In the center of the tower 
is a well four feet in diameter. The space , between 
the well and the outer wall of the tower is divided into 
three sections by two circular walls. Grooved iron 
grating covers the space within the tower. On the 
grating over the outer section of the tovv^er the bodies 
of men are placed, over the middle section the bodies 
of women, and over the inner the bodies of children. 
The bearers leave the bodies unclothed on these sec- 
tions, and in less tlian an hour the vultures leave noth- 
ing but the skeleton, which is left to bleach in the sun 
and the wind till it becomes perfectly dr}'. The fluids 
pass down the grooves into the well, which allows them 
to flow through charcoal into the earth. The bones 
under the tropical sun in a few months crumble, and 
the bodies pass into the elements from which they 
came. The gruesomeness of the burning ghats of the 
Hindus is hardly so repulsive as this disposal of the 
dead by the wealthy Parsees through the agency of 
common vultures that blacken the trees of Malabar 
Hill. 

After this contact with the great flock of buzzards, 
I was glad to get back to our apartments and the 
noisy clatter of the most impudent crows that can be 
found in the world. Every city in India is literally 
alive with these black chattering creatures. They are 
as numerous as the English sparrows in our American 
cities. As the scavengers of India they perform a 
most beneficent service, and without them every city 
would be in grave danger of malignant diseases, for 
the Indians themselves are too lazy to clean awa)' 
their filth. Even in the case of plague and cholera 

238 



ETCH I.N GS OF THE EAST 

they will not observe the rules of the municipal boards. 
While I was in Bombay the daily death rate from 
bubonic plague was eighty-six, which is the lowest 
that it has been for several years. More than 5,000,000 
people have died of plague in India in the last decade. 
The medical men say that the disease is propagated 
by rats and fleas. The fleas from the dying rat find 
a new home on a human being, and with his bite he 
transmits the plague germ, from which in most cases 
death ensues. The natives will not always aid in ex- 
terminating the rats, as their religious regard for life, 
through their belief in the transmigration or reincar- 
nation of the soul, will prevent them from destroying 
dangerous vermin. The Jains are the wealthy grain 
dealers in Bombay, and they would by their religion 
be more apt to erect hospitals for the sick rats than 
they would be to join in any effort to exterminate 
them. The Europeans are a little reconciled to these 
conditions, as the plague is almost entirely confined 
to the natives. 

Bombay is on an island eleven miles long and three 
to four miles wide, in latitude 18 degrees, 53 minutes, 
and 45 seconds. Its climate is quite equable, the aver- 
age temperature being seventy-nine degrees. Its har- 
bor is one of the best in the East, and offers a beau- 
tiful scene as a ship approaches the dock. The port 
is crowded with the vessels of all nations, excepting 
possibly the United States, which has practically no 
merchant marine for any waters. The Stars and 
Stripes are unknown in the Orient. The world cruise 
of the fleet may give other people the opportunity of 
seeing the beauty of Old Glory. No true American 
can be proud of our lack of a merchant marine, which 

239 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

would mean as much to us as the most formidable 
navy. The export trade of Bombay is the largest of 
any city in India. The empire exports annually in tea 
$28,000,000; in wheat and flour, $38,000,000; in rice, 
$63,000,000; in jute, raw and manufactured, $70,000,- 
000; in cotton, raw and manufactured, $115,000,000. 
From my window in Bombay I could count one hun- 
dred cotton mills, while the entire presidency reports 
about four hundred mills. India is a great agricultural 
country, but the people have not accumulated wealth 
by their farms. Of the 738,000,000 acres, fully one- 
third are poorly cultivated, while 140,000,000 tillable 
acres are unused. The natives are poor farmers. 
They do no deep plowing, and they are too afraid of 
being made unclean if they use fertilizers. Their 
plows are the old crooked beams that were used a 
thousand years ago, while the slow-moving bullock is 
the only animal used on the farm. The Indians never 
invent anything nor improve what they have come in 
possession of, and consequently not only their farming 
implements but all their ^workmen's tools are as old as 
their traditions. Lumber is sawed by two men, one 
standing on the log, which is elevated on a frame, 
and the other standing on the ground ; and they pull 
the saw back and forth through the log. The sweeper, 
who is the son of an age-long line of sweepers, car- 
ries his bunch of bamboo canes as did his fathers be- 
fore him. The water carrier has strung over his 
shoulder the leathern bag — the skin of a goat — filled 
with water, which he pours from the neck into a 
basin ; or if he is sprinkling, he pours into his hand 
and with a swing sprinkles on the ground. He learned 
his trade a thousand years ago. The barber stops 

240 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

with his customer ; they both sit down on the ground, 
and the operation is begun and painfully pursued until 
the required amount of hair from face and head has 
been annihilated. When the Indian is asked why he 
does so and so, he simply replies : "It is the custom." 

The people of India differ widely in their intellec- 
tual gifts. The people are not from a common ances- 
try, but from a mass of tribes, races, and tongues. 
There are one hundred and eighty-five different lan- 
guages spoken in the empire, and sixteen of them by 
more than 3,000,000 people. The Hindi or Hindu- 
stani is spoken by 97,500,000 people, the Bengali by 
/| 4,000,000, the Telugu by 20,700,000, the Marathi by 
18,200,000, the Punjabi by 17,000,000, the Tamil by 
16,500,000, the Rajasthani by 11,000,000, the Kanarese 
by 10,300,000, the Guzerati by 10,000,000. The Tamil- 
ese boast of their literature, while the Bengali orators 
acquire a marvelous command of English style as 
speakers. But ignorance and low morality are inevita- 
ble among the lower castes and the hill tribes who 
have never had an opportunity for study. Of the 
150,000,000 men and boys in India, only 15,000,000, 
or ten per cent, can read and write. Of the 144,000,- 
000 women and girls, only 1,000,000, or one in 144, 
can read and write. At present twenty-two per cent 
of the boys of school-going age attend some school, 
while the percentage of girls is two and one-half. 
The demand for education is constantly increasing, 
and the government is being called on to provide 
primary schools for the people. Some fine colleges 
have been established in different cities, such as El- 
phinstone College, in Bombay, and Channing College, 
16 m 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

in Lucknow. The government has estabHshed five 
universities at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Allahabad, 
and Punjab; but they give no instruction and confer 
degrees only on examination. The mission schools 
that maintain a creditable course of study have the 
indorsement and the support of the government. But 
as yet it could hardly be said that India has an edu- 
cational system such as exists in America or even in 
Japan. How soon a demand for such a system is 
pressed upon the government, one could scarcely say, 
but the time is evidently approaching. 

While the great majority of the people of India are 
poor and ignorant and have little concern for any- 
thing beyond a bare sustenance of life, yet there is a 
great body of men in almost every community who 
are beginning to show the awakening of a certain 
national spirit. Many of them have been educated in 
the schools and colleges which the government has 
established and maintained. They read the books 
and newspapers which bring them the Western learn- 
ing and the thought of the outside world. They pub- 
lish eight hundred papers in their own languages, and 
some of them have a daily circulation of four or five 
thousand. In Bengal there has arisen what is called 
the "Swadeshi" movement, which has for its object 
"the industrial regeneration and economic salvation" 
of India; and this mxovement has spread to most of 
the provinces of the empire. Its effort is to arouse 
the natives to inaugurate and maintain enterprises to 
encourage other natives to give support to these native 
enterprises. The members are called upon to patron- 
ize native shops and buy native goods. There can be 
no doubt that there is a political side to the move- 

242 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ment. The Indians feel that they should have a great- 
er share in their government than they have previously 
had. Their education has been in the line of prepa- 
ration for government position, and consequently the 
educated men have not been turned to professional 
lines. The new role which Japan is novv^ playing has 
inspired the Indians to some efforts for themselves. 
The Europeans who live in India confess that a new 
era seems to be dawning and a new national life is 
budding. Certain officials view the movement with 
some alarm, while others are inclined to say that no 
good thing can come out of India. That the indus- 
trial, intellectual, political, and even religious condi- 
tions in this country will soon undergo some change, 
there seems much room for believing; but what will 
be the extent of this change, no one can now prophesy. 
Some of the definitions which newspapers have given 
of the Swadeshi movement are : "The Swadeshi move- 
ment is the awakening of a new spirit of national- 
ism;" "The Swadeshi movement is the child of dis- 
content of modern Indians under their present state 
of dependence — a discontent perfectly healthy and 
legitimate, and due to causes which England herself 
set at work;" "The Swadeshi movement is the unfor- 
tunate excrescence of the marvelous growth of the 
people in the consciousness of their own importance 
and in their desire for higher and better things." 
These definitions from Hindu, Mohammedan, and 
Christian gentlemen show that a patriotic impulse is 
behind the movement, and that a new national con- 
sciousness is beginning to be developed. The world 
will watch with interest the developmicnt. 

There are many encouraging features about mis- 
243 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sionary work in India, and at the same time there are 
drawbacks and great obstacles. The poverty and ig- 
norance of the great masses, the caste system which 
is so tenaciously held to by the upper classes of the 
Hindus, the seclusion and illiteracy of the better class 
of women, the social and religious pride of the Mo- 
hammedans, the fearful intolerance of the wealthy 
Parsees and Jains make difficulties for the missionary 
which are practically insurmountable. An Anglican 
bishop, in writing of the work among the higher 
castes, says : "I very much doubt whether the average 
for all India would amount to twenty converts a year 
from this particular class among all denominations of 
the Christian Church." Yet there are 3,000,000 na- 
tive Christians in India, of which 1,250,000 are Prot- 
estants. The converts have been made to a very great 
extent from the lowest Hindu classes. The statistics 
show a remarkable increase of native Christians dur- 
ing the last decade. The Methodist Episcopal Church 
has now 150,000 communicants in India, and their 
converts last year numbered 16,000. Their work is 
thoroughly organized into five Conferences, and has 
the constant supervision of three resident bishops 
whose superintendency is of incalculable benefit. The 
American Presbyterian Church is also meeting with 
very great success. The English societies are making 
very little progress. This is due in part to the fact 
that they have given their attention almost wholly to 
the higher castes. Christianity has always begun wtih 
the lowly. It was so in the days of Jesus and his apos- 
tles ; it was so in Rome ; it was so with Methodism 
when John Wesley preached to the miners. God 
chooses the weak things of this world to confound 

244 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



the wise. The caste of India is to be broken from 
below as the lower classes are Christianized, educated, 
and become the teachers of the upper castes. That 
work is already in progress. Methodism in India is 
progressing on true apostolic lines ; and if her work 
continues another half century as it has gone the last 
ten years, India will be a new land and Christianity 
will be the religion of the people. Of course the 
English officials and the English planters and mer- 
chants will speak slightingly of the work of the mis- 
sionaries because only the lower classes are reached. 
It is well known that the Englishman in India is more 
often a hindrance than a help to the cause of Chris- 
tianity. This is the statement of an Englishman : "The 
political movements of the last thirty years have in- 
juriously affected the attitude of the educated classes 
toward Christianity by concentrating their thoughts 
and aspirations on political aims, and still more by 
widening the gulf between Indians and Europeans. 
It might have been thought that as English education 
spread a class would arise who would become more 
and more in sympathy with their English rulers. Un- 
happily, it has not been so. The educated in India 
have steadily become more critical of their English 
rulers and more distinctly opposed to English influ- 
ence. And true though it may be that Christianity is 
essentially an Eastern religion, still to India it comes 
as the religion of the West and the religion of the 
English conqueror. A growing opposition, therefore, 
to the English government involves of necessity a 
growing opposition to the Christian Church." 

The colleges are not making many converts to Chris- 
tianity, and the thought of the missionaries is now to 

245 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

make institutions to educate the children of Christian 
converts and to train native evangelists for the great 
work of preaching the gospel to the people. One man 
speaks of a certain institution in Madras as "the finest 
missionary college in India, with a splendid staff of 
able and devoted missionaries," and says the number 
of converts in the last forty years has been a mere 
handful. By the education of the children of persons 
converted by the evangelists, the work of the evangel- 
ist is conserved as Christianity becomes a great power 
among the very people who will eventually redeem In- 
dia. Bishop Whitehead, of Madras, says : "I can see 
no evidence of any movement toward Christianity in 
the higher ranks of Hindu society at present, nor any 
hope of it in the immediate future. On the contrary, 
the educated classes seem to me farther off from the 
definite acceptance of the Christian faith than they 
were when I first came out to India, twenty-three 
years ago." Yet he believes that the hope of reaching 
the people is through the missionary schools for the 
children of Christians and Christian dormitories at 
the State schools as a means of reaching the upper 
classes. While the lower classes are coming to Chris- 
tianity by the thousands, it would seem that there is 
something to be said for the plan now being discussed. 
But while it is becoming more and more certain that 
the mission schools in India must be primarily for the 
sons and daughters of men and women who have 
been converted to Christianity, yet the educational 
work for the high-class Hindus and Mohammedans 
cannot be abandoned. Through these institutions, 
usually of high grade, the light of Christian truth is 
being diffused through the higher ranks, and the up- 

248 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

per society is being prepared for an acceptance of 
Christianity. The state institutions are by their nature 
unable to affect the moral and religious life of their 
students, and the government is feeling the need of 
the mission schools to assist in building up a new 
character in the young men who are to enter the pub- 
lic service. So, on the whole, the field of the mis- 
sionary in India is gradually broadening, and his work 
is deepening. The leaven of the gospel cannot per- 
meate this great lump in a day or even in a genera- 
tion, but there are signs of promise in the national 
sky, and this kingdom will yet become a kingdom of 
our God and his Christ. This is no time for retreat, 
but for reenforcements, and they so numerous that 
India may feel the tread of the hosts of the Lord. 

247 



CHAPTER XVII. 
Coming Up into Egypt. 

THREE thousand sea miles is the distance from 
Bombay to Port Said. As the distance by land 
miles would be fifteen per cent more, the distance for 
a railway train would be three thousand four hundred 
and fifty miles. We wished often for a train, as the 
steamers on any other sea than the Atlantic Ocean 
seldom make more than fifteen miles or knots an hour, 
while the usual fast train makes twice that distance. 
On the Atlantic, where the competition is so great, 
and where the demand for rapid travel is so urgent, 
the ships have been built with special regard to speed ; 
and consequently the large steamers make twenty-two 
to twenty-five knots an hour in their sail between Euro- 
pean and American ports. In the Eastern waters time 
is not such an important element, as the pace of the 
Orient could hardy be called strenuous. 

Our steamer, the Koerber, was quite comfortable, 
and was the most steady boat on which we have had 
passage during our entire trip. While the company 
owning the ship is Austrian, the crew was Italian. 
The language gave us no trouble, as we made no effort 
to understand it, but insisted on every one speaking 
and understanding English. The peculiarity of the 
American — and for the most part the Englishman — is 
that he seldom learns any language but his own imless 
it is that of some foreign country in which he lives. 
I did not find a German an}-v.hcre in the East that 

2is' 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

could not speak some English and usually some other 
European language besides his own. The same was 
true of the Italian, the Frenchman, the Russian, while 
the Austrian and the Pole spoke three to four lan- 
guages freely. The American and the Englishman 
require other nationalities to address them in the Eng- 
lish language, whatever may be the country in which 
they travel. There ma}^ be an explanation for this con- 
dition, but the reader is left to his own. 

We had on board a large number of English exiles 
who were returning to their native land. Of course I 
do not mean that any of our passengers had been serv- 
ing sentences for some misdemeanors ; but if living in 
India for mone}^ or for political honor is not suffering 
exile, I mistook the implications of these Britishers 
who were on their "way home" for a year's furlough. 
Some of them were tea planters, some civil officers, 
some wives of officials ; but the large proportion of 
them were military gentlemen who are sacrificing their 
lives for what they evidently think is the salvation of 
India. In the company were a major general, several 
captains, and so many colonels that I would have 
thought that I was in dear old Kentucky had those 
Englishmen not spoken their own language with what 
people once called a "brogue," but which is now po- 
litely referred to as an "accent." It is indeed strange 
how the pronunciation of the language by the English 
has become corrupted since the Americans separated 
from them. The majority of the army officers see 
very little good in the Indians. One man expressed 
it as his opinion that England was very short-sighted 
In taking India when she might have taken China just 
as well, and consequently would now have a country 

249 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

that is worth owning. There can be no doubt that 
many of these officers consider the day of England's 
full occupation of Tibet as close at hand, while her 
present operations on the borders of Afghanistan with 
the rebellious Mohammedan tribes may precipitate a 
campaign that will involve the territory in that dis- 
trict. England is approaching the heart of Asia from 
the south. 

Our good steamer reached Aden after a five days' 
delightful voyage across the Arabian Sea. Those wa- 
ters are seldom rough except during the monsoons in 
June and July, and then the fury of the waves is ex- 
hausting on the best sailors. Of course Aden belongs 
to the English. We landed in Shanghai on the Eng- 
lish concession ; we went ashore at Hongkong, a Brit- 
ish colony; we stopped over at Singapore, a British 
possession ; we visited Penang, a British settlement ; 
we spent a few days in Burma, a British province; 
we traveled a month in India, the British Empire. Of 
course Aden belongs to the English, and its barren 
crags are covered by British fortifications, while the 
most prominent section of the town is occupied by the 
barracks, the home of the British soldiers. But what 
shall I say of Aden? What could any one say who 
wanted to be polite and at the same time truthful? 
It is said that Lord Curzon while Viceroy in India 
had a regiment of rebellious troops that he wanted to 
punish, so he stationed them at Aden for two years. 
The only point of interest in Aden is the Tanks which 
were built by King Darius, and which were discovered 
a few years ago by some laborers who were digging 
a trench. But the Tanks have no use, although they 
have been put in good repair ; for they have been filled 

250 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

only three times in ten years. The annual rainfall in 
Aden is only three-fourths of an inch. But Aden has 
an excellent harbor, and its position at the mouth of 
the Red Sea gives it a place as prominent, if not as 
important, as the Straits of Gibraltar. One caterer, 
realizing the importance of his city, named his hostelry 
the "Hotel of the Universe." If we may judge from 
the number of ostrich feathers which are sold by the 
native venders to the passengers on board the steamer, 
Aden must have the most productive ostrich farm in 
the world. On close inspection, however, some pur- 
chasers found that their articles bore the stamp: 
"Made in Germany." But the great reduction which 
the venders make in their prices gives the purchaser 
the impression that he or she has made a great bar- 
gain, and the illusion seldom disappears until after 
the steamer sails. 

The Red Sea is not red, but as blue as the ocean 
and sometimes as rough. We were fortunate in get- 
ting enough breeze to keep us comfortable, and not 
enough to disturb the motion of the ship. We were 
frequently in sight of land — which by its color likely 
gave the name to the sea — while other travelers of 
the deep were often on our horizon. The sunsets were 
glorious. On the morning of the last day we passed 
Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the great command- 
ments- from God. Just as the day was dying in the 
west we crossed the pathway of the Israelitish hosts 
as they fled through the miraculously opened sea from 
their hostile Egyptian pursuers, and we came to anchor 
at Suez v/hile the western sky was ablaze and the wa- 
ters of the harbor smiled in their beauty. We entered 
the Suez Canal by moonlight, and lingered long enough 

251 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



on deck to see something of the great work of the 
distinguished French engineer. The morning found 
us more than half through the eighty-two miles of the 
canal, and our eyes rested upon the great deserts 
which stretch out on each side. We anchored once 
for four large ships to pass us. The channel is not wide 
enough for ships to pass each other except at these sta- 
tions. At ten o'clock we were in Port Said, and at five 
o'clock in the afternoon we were in Cairo, the gay capi- 
tal on the Nile, 

The change from the depressing conditions of the 
Far East to the dazzling scenes of Egypt's great city 
was so great as almost to produce a shock. At first 
there was the feeling that we had returned to civiliza- 
tion, but as the days wore on there was some question 
as to the genuine worth of what we beheld. The glitter- 
ing is not always golden. As far as the social world is 
concerned, Cairo is a second Paris. A half dozen of its 
hotels are without superiors in the great resorts of the 
world. During the season, which extends from Decem- 
ber I to May I, Cairo is filled with the rich and aristo- 
cratic members of society of Europe and America. The 
prices for services of all kinds and for the articles in 
the shops are exceedingly exorbitant. The slightest 
service, even to the word of direction in the streets, 
calls for a fee; and every native who can speak fifty 
words of English will offer himself as a dragoman (a 
guide) at twelve to thirty shillings a day. The past 
season has been very poor, as the financial stringency 
in America and Europe greatly reduced the amount of 
travel. Plowever, we found a guide at the pyramids 

252 




CLIMBING THE GRKAT PYRAMID. 



ETC K INGS OF THE EAST 

that made $1,750, notwithstanding the dullness of the 

season. 

Speaking of the pyramids recalls our visit on Tues- 
day afternoon and the rich golden sunset which left 
a glow in our hearts like the gorgeous tints in the 
sky. Many things have been written of the Great 
Pyramid, which is 451 feet high, 755 feet long on 
each of the four sides, and which covers an area of 
thirteen acres, and most of them are true, at least for 
the writers. But the old pile of Cheops, upon which 
have fallen the favor and the fury of more than thirty 
centuries, must be seen to be appreciated. It is rough, 
and its great stones, instead of standing out sharp, 
have crumbled sufficiently to show the marks of their 
extreme age. I might have been pushed up by three 
Arabs over the jagged stones of the jutting corner 
to the summit, where I would have trembled with 
fatigue and dizziness from the extreme height ; but for 
such an experience I had no desire. From the sum- 
mit, a few feet square, those who are able to com- 
mand their powers will have a fine view of Cairo and 
the surrounding country. The interior of the pyramid 
contains several dark chambers which formerly held 
the bodies of the king and members of his domestic or 
political household. The gigantic pyramid is a great 
tomb, undoubtedly, as is the smaller pyramid that 
stands by its side and the numerous pyramids which 
may be seen in the Valley of the Nile near the old 
capital of the Pharaohs. 

Is the Sphinx a colossal image of the Egyptian 
deity Harmachis, the god of the morning? ^ The 
arch^ological students seem to think so; but if so, 
beauty was not counted essential to a deity in those 

253 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



days. The image was hewn out of the rock cliff which 
juts out here from the desert plateau, and the various 
strata are seen in the neck and the head. As the body, 
which is 140 feet long, and the paws which are at the 
base of the figure, which is 70 feet high, are hid in 
the sand, I could make no observation. As the sand 
of the desert is continually drifting, the work of ex- 
cavation would be scarcely worth while. The pyra- 
mids and the Sphinx are on a barren hill in the midst 
of a great plain stretching in every direction. They 
have no beauty or comeliness ; they express no archi- 
tectural design; but they betoken the mystery of life 
and man's eternal peering into the distance to find its 
meaning, and at the same time his insatiable thirst for 
his own immortality, even if only by a monument of 
stone. In the one man has said, "What is the mean- 
ing of it all?" and in the other, "I will to live for- 
ever." Is it any wonder that the archseologist who 
declared that the pyramid was a tomb was equally 
confident that a temple would be found in the neigh- 
borhood? After a little excavating the temple was 
found as predicted; and its great granite columns, its 
superb chambers and alabaster floors are objects of 
admiration to every visitor to the pyramids of Gizeh. 
The man who seeks the meaning of life and follows 
the natural desire for immortality is sure to express 
his feelings in acts of worship. 

Some one said that he would not go to the p}ramids 
— which are six or eight miles from the city — on an 
electric car, as the ride on the car would take away the 
sentiment of the trip. Well, we went on the electric 
car, and were g.ad to do so, and were delivered in 
good sentimental condition only two hundred yards 

254 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

from the base of the Great Pyramid. We could have 
done the rest on foot, but the novelty and experience 
of a camel ride on the plains of Egypt are worth 
something. So we had those great beasts of burden 
kneel at our sides, receive us, arise, and proceed on 
the way. The lunging of a rising or kneeling camel 
sometimes tries many muscles of the rider, while the 
motion of this "ship of the desert" sometimes causes 
a rebellion like unto that known best at sea. 

The most interesting person that I saw in Cairo 
was Rameses II., the Pharaoh of the Oppression. It 
was really next to seeing Moses. The old monarch 
little thought that after thirty-three hundred years he 
would lie a mummy in a great museum and be looked 
upon by the thousands who know his deeds and hold 
him in remembrance because of his connection with 
God's chosen people, whom he oppressed. But Ram- 
eses was a great ruler, and some of the most magnifi- 
cent relics of the Egyptian civilization were the works 
of his reign. Near the sarcophagus which contained 
the mummy of Rameses was one which contained the 
mummy of Meneptah, who was the Pharaoh when the 
Egyptian host that was following the Israelites was 
destroyed in the Red Sea. For many years it was be- 
lieved and taught that that Pharaoh was drowned 
with his army, although there is no statement in the 
fifteenth chapter of Exodus to that effect. The schol- 
ars say that the mummy which I saw in the Museum 
of Antiquities is the mummy of the Pharaoh of the 
Exodus, and I am in no position to deny their con- 
tention. 

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was formerly 
in the old Gizeh Palace; but it has been removed to 

255 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the new building on the east bank of the Nile, which 
was completed in 1902 at a cost of $1,000,000. The 
priceless collection here will aid any student to some 
appreciation of the great people who lived in Egypt 
2,500 to 4,000 years ago. Their superb pieces of stat- 
uary, their magnificent architecture, and their superior 
masonry offer a severe rebuff to the conceit of many 
peoples of this showy age. A traveler in Egypt to- 
day continually asks to be taken from the glitter of 
the Khedive to the gold of the Pharaoh. The Caliphs, 
the Mamelukes, the Ottomans, and the Khedives may 
have been not without honor, but the glory of Egypt 
belongs to the ages that preceded them. It is true that 
the tombs of the Caliphs and the tombs of the Mame- 
lukes furnish some very fine specimens of Saracenic 
architecture, although they are for the most part in 
ruins. A visit to them is exceedingly interesting, but 
not so much so as a visit to the Citadel, the great 
Cairene Acropolis, with its mosques, palace, prison, 
barracks, and arsenal. The Citadel is filled with sev- 
eral regiments of British soldiers. England is the 
guardian of Egypt also, and receives good fees for her 
service. It is here that we find the beautiful Alabaster 
Mosque, which bears the name of Mehemet Ali, the 
builder. Its proportions are imposing, the decorations 
of the interior are rich, while in architectural design 
it is the copy of the great Church of St. Sophia at 
Constantinople. The tomb of Mehemet Ali is in the 
southwest corner. The two tall, slender minarets are 
lofty and elegant. Behind the church is shown the 
wall from which Emil Bey rushed his horse when he 
made his escape when Ali massacred the Mamelukes. 
From this spot one may secure a very fine view of 
' 256 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the city, with its five hundred mosques, its numerous 
cotton mills, its beautiful parks, and its great business 
houses. 

Did I find the place where Pharaoh's daughter found 
little Moses in his little craft on the Nile ? The guide 
was quite confident that he was pointing out the place 
in the rear of the palace on Roda Island. The keeper 
of the old Coptic Church showed me the spot where 
Joseph and Mary rested when they stopped in their 
flight from Herod. While I had no feeling of mathe- 
matical certainty about the place, yet there was a de- 
vout sensation at the recital of this sacred tradition. 
It is in this neighborhood that one may see old Cairo, 
with its streets so narrow that neighbors may touch 
each other from the upper windows. The ancient 
odor, the congregation of men in the streets, the cry 
for backsheesh on every hand, the fellowship of dogs 
and goats, fleas and flies all satisfied me that I had 
reached the old city and that the modern Paris was 
several miles away. Speaking of flies leads me to 
say that the flies of Cairo are the most numerous, the 
most friendly, and the most attentive of any that I 
have ever seen. The men in the street carry fly 
brushes made of hair and fine fiber. But the fly and 
the crow are the city's scavengers. 

But it is not in my mind to write any more of Cairo, 
as its great relics, its historical associations, its modern 
gayety, its Mohammedan government and British pro- 
tectorate, its new system of irrigation, its growing 
school system are all more or less known to the read- 
ers of this day. After a visit to India much that one 
sees in Egypt is not strange. However, here one sees 
Moslemism in the ascendancy, and its assertive pride 
17 257' 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and religious fanaticism are quite distasteful to an 
American Protestant. Of ancient Egypt one cannot 
learn enough, while of modern Egypt one with quiet 
habits may soon grow weary. The city that tourists 
see most is a vanity fair. The sidewalks of many 
streets are so filled with tables about which those who 
eat and drink make merry that travelers must walk in 
the streets. The vender of all sorts of wares, fabrics, 
and confectioneries, the juggler with all manner of 
tricks, the wandering musicians with all classes of in- 
struments pass from table to table, from company to 
company, from street to street, trying to secure sale 
of their goods and service. Life in Cairo, as it is in 
all cities which become resorts, is subject to many 
perils. Cairo is a beautiful city with a million inhab- 
itants; but the glory of Egypt is in her great fields 
along the Nile, while her crown is in the works of 
the great people who built Luxor, Thebes, Memphis, 
and left the marks of a high civilization. 

258 



CHAPTER XVIIL 

Going Up to Jerusalem. 

TRAVEL in Egypt is so fearfully expensive that 
this wanderer was glad when the Friday came 
on which he was to start to Palestine. The train left 
Cairo at eleven o'clock. At three-thirty we were in 
Port Said, and at six we were setting sail in a small 
Russian steamer for Jaffa. To our joy, twenty-five 
of the passengers were Americans, most of whom 
were teachers in the Philippine Islands, who were on 
their way to America, and who had stopped over at 
Port Said to visit Jerusalem and Cairo. The "Amer- 
ican" language resounded through that steamer that 
night. At six o'clock the next morning we awoke to 
find our ship anchored in the waters which Jonah 
made famous when he took the ship to Tarshish. The 
Turkish medical officials delayed us five hours in land- 
ing by their slow action in carrying out the quaran- 
tine regulations. They took backsheesh too, as do all 
Turkish officials on all occasions and in all places. 
Backsheesh is the only passport which will admit tour- 
ists without question to any place o£ interest in the 
Sultan's domain. We were glad to pass through the 
dangerous reefs in the Joppa harbor and to get safely 
through the customhouse to the hotel for a greatly 
delayed breakfast. At two o'clock we were on the 
train with tickets reading: "Joppa to Jerusalem." 
What sensations those tickets awoke ! Joppa, where 
Solomon received his cedar from Tyre which he used 

259. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

in building the temple ! Joppa, where Peter had that 
wonderful vision in which he heard a voice saying: 
"What God hath cleansed, that call not thou com- 
mon !" I saw the reputed spot on which the house 
of Simon the tanner stood, where Cornelius found 
Peter. It was in Joppa that Dorcas lived and died. 
They showed me the traditional spot of that upper 
chamber where Peter called this holy woman back to 
life, and the tomb in which her body was eventuall}- 
laid. One may be skeptical as to identical spots, but 
that it was in the ancient city which occupied the same 
position as the present busy seaport that these early 
disciples lived and labored there can be no question. 
At last the hopes of the years had been realized, and 
I was treading upon the holy soil made sacred by 
those who knew the Lord. 

Jaffa (the modern name of the ancient city) is by 
no means without interest. Its dirty streets and 
dwarfed market places, its small buildings and poorly 
kept public institutions do not indicate that no busi- 
ness is transacted and that commerce is dead, but only 
that Jaffa is a city of the Orient. The business man is 
there, and he knows how to make a bargain, as a little 
testing will show. He does not trade like an Ameri- 
can, but he knows all the tricks of the Eastern trades- 
man. The great camel trains bring here from the 
country and the interior great quantities of produce 
for the foreign market. Oranges, lemons, olive oil, 
wine, and wool are brought here for shipment to Eu- 
rope ; while the imports of cotton goods, cloth, coffee, 
rice, sugar, and tobacco make their entrance through 
the Jaffa port. About six hundred steamers and more 
than a thousand sailing vessels call at Jaffa every 

260 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

year. Damascus only surpasses this city b}^ the sea 
as a business point in Syria. The 45,000 inhabitants 
— ^of whom 30,000 are Moslems, 10,000 are Christians, 
4,000 are Jews — live as comfortably as any people in 
that country. 

The suburbs of the city and the whole surrounding 
country are covered with orange groves which yield 
a yearly income of a quarter to a half million dollars. 
The Jaffa oranges are noted for their richness, juici- 
ness, and delicacy of flavor. The apricot orchards are 
not much less numerous, while the pomegranate, the 
lemon, the date, and the olive are extensively grown. 
I ate the fruit of the sycamore tree, and liked it. It re- 
minds one somewhat of the haw, although it is much 
larger and more juicy. The tree is quite different from 
the tree of the same name in our country. The fruit 
is very highly prized by the people. A drive through 
the Jaffa of to-day in the month of May will give any 
visitor a most favorable impression of the fertility of 
the soil of that section, the richness of the products 
which are grown, and the industry of the people who 
inhabit the country. 

The distance from Jaffa to Jerusalem is fifty-three 
miles by the railroad, and the cost of a ticket is three 
dollars first-class or one dollar second-class. The best 
is not good, and the next best is fearfully uncomforta- 
ble. The schedule time for the journey is three and a 
half hours, but the proverbial indifference to time 
among Orientals is frequently fully exemplified in the 
Palestine railroad officials. However, a slow train is 
best for sight-seeing, and sight-seeing was our busi- 
ness that day. So while our little locomotive tugged 
away, pulling us across valleys and over mountains, 

261 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

our guides pointed out to us the places of interest as 
we passed them. Our hearts leaped with sensations of 
delight as we broke from among the orange groves of 
Jaffa into the broad fields of the beautiful Valley of 
Sharon. Of course the first thing we asked to see was 
the "rose of Sharon." Our guides were very accom- 
modating, and pointed out this choice flower; but un- 
fortunately they disagreed in their selection, just as 
others had done before them. However, the beautiful 
red flower resembling the poppy is most commonly 
known as the rose of Sharon. Those who know best 
the flora of the country are slow to say what the rose 
of Sharon is or was. But there could be no question 
as to what the guide meant when he said that the great 
field of grain was "corn." The Englishman who was 
in the party insisted that is was corn, but the Amer- 
icans knew that it was wheat. The grain that the 
American calls "corn" is known as "maize" by ev- 
ery other people, while the word "corn" is used by 
Easterners to designate all small grain. As the train 
sped on we passed not only fields of wheat but patches 
of potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, cotton, beans, peas, on- 
ions, cucumbers, and other vegetables known in our 
own land. The growth everywhere seemed such as only 
good, fertile soil would produce. The fig trees, the olive 
trees, and the grapevines were abundant and showed 
promise of a good yield. One is always surprised in a 
strange country to find so many things like those he 
has always known in his own land. The similarities 
invariably attract his notice before the dift'erences. So 
the vegetables, fruits, grains, flowers, birds, and the 
animals of Palestine surprised me by being so similar 
to what I had so often seen in the various parts of our 

262 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST. 

great country. The fact is, "seeing the country" of 
this old world is rather monotonous business. The 
human footprints only can give glory to any land and 
add any peculiar interest to the products of any soil. 
The Valley of Sharon is no more beautiful and no 
more fertile than many another valley, but the Philis- 
tines and the Israelites in their age-long contests for 
control of it gave it a value above the measure of any 
nation's currency. The Man of Galilee and his for- 
bears have attached an interest to the wheat fields of 
Palestine which belongs to no other land. The Holy 
Land is holy not because of the strangeness of its 
products, but because of the revelations which have 
come to the world through its people. 

We had gone only a short distance when we were 
awakened from our meditations as the guide said: 
"Here on the right is the traditional place where Sam- 
son let loose the three hundred foxes with firebrands 
tied to their tails in the standing corn of the Philis- 
tines." From this place, as we looked to the south, we 
saw the great fertile plain that stretched to Ekron, 
Ashkelon, and Gaza and the cities of the stubborn en- 
emies of the Israelites. The shrill whistle of the en- 
gine pierced the air, the train came to a standstill, and 
the guard called out : "Ludd." Ezra called it Lod, and 
the disciples knew it as Lydda. Peter "came down to 
the saints which dwelt at Lydda," healed ^Eneas of the 
palsy, and went from there to Joppa and raised Dorcas 
from the dead. According to tradition, St. George, 
who slew the dragon, is buried here, and the Mo- 
hammedans hold that their prophet taught that Christ 
will at the last day slay the Antichrist at the gate of 
Lydda. Another two miles brought us to Ramleh, a 

263 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



town of 7,000 inhabitants, which is supposed to be 
the site of Arimathea, the home of Joseph, the rich 
man who gave the body of the crucified Jesus its 
resting place. The tradition, however, dates back 
only to the thirteenth century. Napoleon once had 
his headquarters here. The most interesting and re- 
markable object in the place is the old tower, which 
probably dates back to the time of the Crusaders. The 
town bears to-day no evidences of its former glory, 
while its wretchedness is extreme. 

Leaving Ramleh, after a distance of two miles we 
came to Gezer, the town which Pharaoh burned, and 
which Solomon rebuilt after his royal father-in-law 
had slain the Canaanites and presented it to his daugh- 
ter, Solomon's wife. The excavations by the Pales- 
tine Exploration Fund Society have brought to light 
cave dwellings with flint implements, numerous Egyp- 
tian seals, and articles of jewelry which belonged to 
the twentieth century before the Christian era. The 
periods of the Canaanites and of the Jewish city were 
clearly distinguishable. A little to the west of Gezer 
lies Akir, now a Jewish colony of Rothschild, but for- 
merly the site of the ancient Ekron. Here we left 
the- plains and began to come upon the great plateau 
known as the Shephelah, or low hills, where the land 
was less fertile and the crops less numerous. As we 
approached the mountain range, on a high hill on the 
south were shown the ruins of ancient Beth-shemesh, 
while on an opposite hill across a deep ravine was 
Zorah, the boyhood home of Samson. The cave "in 
the top of the rock Etam," where Samson hid himself, 
was pointed out. The thirteenth to the sixteenth chap- 
ters of the book of Judges were read with peculiar in- 

264 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

terest after passing through this country, and the 
rugged character of the might}^ Samson was better 
understood after seeing his mountain home. 

No railroad in the world passes through a more in- 
teresting country than the short line from Jaffa to 
Jerusalem. After crossing the Valley of Sharon and 
passing through the sand hills of Ekron, it runs up 
the Vale of Sorek — or the Wady es Surar, as it is 
now called — and its defile through the Judean range 
on to the plain southwest of Jerusalem, which the 
best authorities say probably represents the Vale of 
Rephaim, which was the boundary between Judah and 
Benjamin. It was in this valley that the Israelites 
and the Philistines had their great struggles, for it 
was by this pass that the archenemies of the chosen 
people always endeavored to reach Jerusalem. There 
was no shorter road into Judea from Ekron, Jamnia, 
and Ashdod. After the ark had given trouble to Ash- 
dod, Gath, and Ekron, it was up this valley that the 
"untended kine of Beth-shemesh dragged the cart be- 
hind them with the ark upon it, 'lowing as they went, 
and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; 
and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto 
the border of Beth-shemesh.' " The Kirjath-jearim, 
where the ark rested until David took it up to Jeru- 
salem, was evidently in this same community. One 
needs only to see this narrow pass through the moun- 
tains to understand why the Israelites were able to 
defend themselves so nobly against the attacks of the 
more numerous enemy, and why during the time of 
the Maccabees and the Crusaders the severe engage- 
ments took place among these same hills. This was 
the natural approach to Jerusalem from the maritime 

265 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

plains, and to capture it meant to gain access to the 
capital city. It was not only the scene of severe, 
bloody struggles, but it was the home of warlike peo- 
ple, as well as the lurking place of wild beasts with 
which Samson, David, and others contended. To trav- 
erse such a defile stirs the blood of every tourist. 

As we slowly ascended the hills of Judea by a very 
steep grade, we were entertained not only by the bold- 
ness of the scenery, but also by the vine3^ards which 
covered the terraced mountain sides. In the days of 
Israel's great prosperity it is quite probable that the 
hills for the most part of the entire country were sim- 
ilarly terraced, and that large communities were sup- 
ported by these mountain products ; for the soil of the 
hills is still fertile, and will bring forth a harvest when 
given the proper attention. As we reached the plain 
we found again all the crops of the Sharon, although 
we had made an ascent of more than 2,000 feet. The 
guide pointed out the country residence of the Greek 
Patriarch of Jerusalem^ and said that the devout 
Simeon had his residence on this site. But we were 
almost listless ; for our faces were toward Jerusalem, 
and every tourist was anxious to catch sight of the 
sacred city. In a moment, as we reached the hilltop, 
the glorious sight was caught, and from there to the 
railroad station we were eager for a view of all we 
passed or approached. The station is located outside 
the city in what is known as the German colony. We 
were met b}' the proprietor of our hotel, and soon we 
were comfortably settled in our room, from which we 
had a full view of the inclosed city. 

"Beautiful for situation is the city of the great 
266 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

king" is a sentiment which every visitor will heartily 
indorse, whatever may be the point from which the 
city is seen. One can readily understand why the 
Psalmists found it so easy to fall into poetry at the 
thought of their honored, revered, and much-loved 
city. A more glorious sight never greeted my eyes 
than that of my first evening, when in the gathering 
twilight I could see the stern gray walls, the outlines 
of the Tower of David, the Mosque of Omar, the 
Tower of Antonia, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, 
the buttresses of the Damascus Gate, the place of the 
Gordon tomb, and beyond the Mount of Olives, 
crowned with its great tower, and farther still the 
Mountains of Moab beyond the Jordan. There' was 
a solemnity in the scene that made the soul turn to 
God and the heaven that seemed watching so near at 
hand. The deep-toned bells rang out from the various 
places of worship the earnest call to prayer, while the 
shrill voice of the Muslim in the minaret added the 
unusual note to this grave harmony. In the midst of 
the meditation in the failing evening light, the great 
orange moon, larger than all the moons that I had 
ever seen, more golden than any that I had ever 
known, climbed fromi behind the Moab Mountains into 
the somber sky and measured itself by the works of 
man on the Mount of Olives. In less than an hour its 
glory had fallen upon the city of David, and there lay 
before me in the hush of that gorgeous night the un- 
disputed site of the most memorable scenes ever en- 
acted in the history of the human race. Is it any won- 
der that more than once during the night sleep re- 
leased, its grasp for a few moments, so that the trav- 
eler might again and again see the shifting of the 

267 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

shadows and catch new visions of the world's holy- 
city? 

The morning brought a new beauty and a new 
splendor when the sun sent his heralds of day up over 
those eastern hills, and when, full-orbed, he flooded 
the city with light. The atmosphere of that bright 
May morning was balmy, although a sirocco had been 
blowing the day before. Before nightfall vv^e learned 
the meaning of that dry, parching east wind which at 
times comes sweeping up from the desert along the 
Jordan and the Dead Sea. It brings with the with- 
ering heat a fine white sand, which is as irritating to 
man as it is destructive to vegetation. But the cool 
mountain air of the nighttime leaves Jerusalem fresh 
in the opening of a new day. 

Fortunate indeed is that individual who has the 
privilege of a visit to Jerusalem, the holy city of the 
ancient Israelites and the religious capital of the 
world. From the standpoint of commerce, learning, 
political power Jerusalem may be insignificant in this 
generation ; but from the standpoint of human hope 
and destiny the old city is possessed of an interest 
which neither time nor conditions can ever abate or 
destroy. The foundations of the world's institutions 
are laid upon corner stones which were quarried from 
the deposits of this holy place. The hidden wealth 
of man and his world is being constantly revealed by 
the light which is maintained by the flow of truth 
from this ancient reservoir of heaven-wrought civili- 
zation. Mt. Zion is an eternal hill no more ancient 
in history than it is secure In the devotion of all future 
generations. Jerusalem may suffer yet the ravages of 
many barbarous hands and be many times razed to 

268 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the earth, as in the past; but it can never perish so 
long as man inhabits this planet. To see this sacred 
place is to come in touch with the two eternities be- 
tween whose peaks man walks in hope to the end of 
his day. To spend a fortnight in the ancient city is 
to have communion with the divine through the 
means by which the holiest revelations have come to 
man. 

Jerusalem lies in practically the same latitude as 
Savannah, Ga., Montgomery, Ala., Jackson, Miss., 
Waco, Tex., El Paso, Tex., and the southern bound- 
ary line of California. It is 2,550 feet above the level 
of the Mediterranean Sea, from which it is distant 
thirty-five miles. Its height above the sea level gives 
it the benefit of a mountain atmosphere ; and that, as 
a rule, insures pleasant nights in the hot season. The 
temperature has its extremes, but it does not fre- 
quently fall to the freezing point. In winter the 
weather is colder than it is on the plains, while in 
summer the heat mounts higher and is more trying. 
The observer reports that in "fifteen years there was 
an average of thirty-eight days on which the ther- 
mometer was above 90 degrees, on twenty-eight oc- 
casions from 100 to 108 degrees, and an average of 
fifty-five nights on which it fell under 40 degrees, with 
one hundred and seven descents to or below freezing 
point." Ice is sometimes formed during the night, but 
it does not last through a day. Snow has fallen in 
half the seasons, but usually in small quantity and is 
soon melted. However, there have been heavy snow- 
storms in Jerusalem, and the drifts have lain in the 
ravines for two or three weeks. It never rains in 
Jerusalem in July, and scarcely ever in June, August, 

269 



ETCHINGS OFTHE EAST 

and September. In May and October it occasionally 
rains, but then only in small showers. Yet it rains as 
much in Jerusalem in a year as it does in London — 
about twenty-five and one-fourth inches. A fourth 
of the rain falls in January, while large portions come 
in December, February, and March. In November 
and April the rainfall is not heavy. The rainy winter 
and the dry summer are common to all Syria ; but the 
seasons are more capricious in Jerusalem, on account 
of its elevation, than in other parts of Palestine. It 
is very readily understood why tourists are instructed 
to visit Palestine in April and May if they wish to see 
the country in its best condition. In the summer 
months the heat is exhausting and the fields are 
parched ; in the winter the rain makes travel very 
uncomfortable, if not impossible. In April and May 
the vegetation is at its best, while in October and 
November the land is desolate after the summer heat. 
Those crops only are possible which can be matured 
through the moisture of winter rains, and consequent- 
ly the harvest time is more apt to be in the beginning 
of the summer than in the opening of the autumn. 

While Jerusalem is situated on a hill, on three sides 
of which are deep valleys or ravines, yet it is sur- 
rounded by higher hills which inclose it on every side, 
and which leave only a small outlet, and that toward 
the southeast. "As the mountains are round about 
Jerusalem, so are thy mercies round about me." The 
writers on the topography and foundations of ancient 
Jerusalem have had no trouble in locating the walls 
on the three sides; for the Valley of Hinnom on the 
west side and extending around on the south side 
meets at the southeast corner ot the city the Valley 

270 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of Kidron, which extends along the east side. The 
declivity on the three sides is so abrupt and so de- 
cided that the wall has always been on or near the 
place which it now occupies. So the position of the 
north wall has always determined the position and 
the size of the city. At present the wall of Jerusalem, 
which was built about 1540 by the Turkish ruler Sulei- 
man, has a circumference of two and a half miles, 
while the greatest distance across this inclosed city is 
only three- fourths of a mile. Outside of the city, west 
and northwest, a large community has been built up 
in the last few years. Here will be found all the Euro- 
pean and American residences of the city. 

The population of the present city is about 60,000, 
of whom about 7,000 are Moslems, 40,000 Jews, and 
13,000 Christians. The Christians are divided as fol- 
lows : Four thousand Roman Catholics, 6,000 orthodox 
Greeks, 800 Armenians, 200 United Greeks, 150 
Copts, 100 Abyssinians, and 1,400 Protestants. A 
bitter war rages continually among the sects of the 
native Christians, and peace is kept only by the iron 
hand of the Mohammedan police official. As a result 
of this contention, all Christians are held in contempt 
by the orthodox Jews and the Mohammedans. Mis- 
sion work can make little or no advancement among 
the Mohammedans of Palestine because of the ill feel- 
ing which the sects of native Christians continually 
manifest among themselves. It is also true that some 
of the Protestant missionaries who make themselves 
most conspicuous are exceedingly fanatical. We 
found one man who had felt himself called of God, 
according to his statement, to come to Jerusalem and 
demonstrate the gift of tongues as a special evidence 

271 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of the Spirit's present dealing with believers. Had his 
sanctity been commensurate with his ignorance, his 
spiritual power with his brazen effrontery, his actual 
achievements with his pretentious claims, there might 
have been some sympathy for him in his delusion. His 
"gift of tongues" was a mechanical babble which was 
no more intelligible to himself than to his hearers. 
He was a veritable cheat, a fraud, a deadbeat. But 
residents of Jerusalem told me that he was only one 
of a class which come to Jerusalem continually with 
their inane and insane pretenses. One can never fully 
appreciate the apostle's warning against "every wind 
of doctrine" until he has visited this city. In several 
cities of Palestine there are missionaries supported by 
American funds whose chief message is a declaration 
of belief in the early physical coming of Jesus to 
Jerusalem to assume the government of his kingdom. 
Jerusalem, the somber city, without amusement and 
with a religious tinge on everything, is to-day the 
home of the grossest superstitions, the wildest fanat- 
icism, and the deadliest formalism which are known to 
the religious world. Whether with the Jew, Moham- 
medan, or Christian, native or missionary, religious 
sanity and toleration have been thrown to the winds, 
and each, with his mind closed to outside influences, 
pursues the bent of his own narrow, ill-informed, and 
prejudiced mind and looks with contempt upon all 
who are going another way or giving expression to 
another thought. In no place in the world is truth 
more apt to be crucified than in Jerusalem ; and when 
the Lord Christ shall have indeed enthroned himself 
in the people of the city, the day of the millennium 
will be surely at hand. 

272 



CHAPTER XIX. 

The World's Holy City. 

JERUSALEM the Golden will be a very compact 
city if it is fashioned after the ancient capital of 
the Israelites, and the gold in the pavements will not 
be seen if the streets are no cleaner than those of 
the Jerusalem of this day. There are two chief streets, 
one beginning at the Jaffa Gate on the west and the 
other at the Damascus Gate on the north ; and these 
intersect in the middle of the town and divide it into 
four sections. The northeast section is occupied large- 
ly by the Moslems, the southeast by the Jews, the 
southwest by the Armenians, and the northwest by 
the Grgeco-Frankish people. However, there are mem- 
bers of each of these classes that can be found in all 
these sections. The streets are narrow — never more 
than twenty feet wide, and often not more than ten 
or twelve — poorly or badly paved, crooked and ill- 
kept. After a rain they are excessively dirty. There 
is very little reason why there should be dust, for 
cobblestones cover them for the most part and no heavy 
wagons ever pass through them. To be sure, the 
chalky limestone is easily worn into dust even by the 
heel of man, but a little sweeping would keep that 
away. But the present "Jebusites" are not noted for 
their overflowing energy and their twentieth century 
enterprise. 

Many of the streets of Jerusalem are vaulted over, 
and consequently they may truly be called blind al- 
18 273 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

leys. Space is left in the vault for sufficient light 
from the sky to make the way bright enough for use 
in the daytime. At night the lamp or lantern is quite 
necessary in many streets, as the street lamps are not 
numerous. One often feels that he is traversing a 
subway or some subterranean passage as he makes his 
way through Jerusalem over the rough streets, with 
no sidewalks whatever and underneath the houses in 
which the people live. The Master's injunction to his 
disciples, "And let him that is on the house top not 
come down into the house," when they saw the "abom- 
ination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet," 
is well understood when it is seen how easily one 
could step from roof to roof and get out of the city 
before an enemy in the street could find him. The 
houses are built entirely of stone, and inclose a court. 
The rooms are grouped around the court, and each has 
its own entrance. The passages and staircases are left 
open to the air, which is poor enough at best in such 
a closely built city. The roofs are usually flat, so as 
to permit use in the summer for sleeping, and yet they 
have sufficient slant toward the court to turn all the 
rain water into the cistern which is in the center of 
the court. Jerusalem has no wells and only one spring, 
and must catch its own water when it falls in the win- 
ter. The water of the cisterns is quite wholesome if 
the cisterns are kept clean. The one spring in Jeru- 
salem is the Virgin's Fountain, which is in the Valley 
of the Kidron, on the east side of the city. It has 
been identified by the scholars of to-day as the Spring 
of Gihon, where the followers of David anointed Sol- 
omon as king. There is a subterranean passage which 
connects the fountain with the Pool of Siloam, and 

274 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which is 1,700 feet long, although the direct distance 
between the fountain and the pool is about 1,090 feet. 
Here, according to a tradition that does not antedate 
the fourteenth century, the Virgin once drew water 
and washed the swaddling clothes of her Son. It is 
sometimes called the Fountain of the Steps, as one 
descends sixteen steps to a level space, and then four- 
teen steps to the water, which fills the basin, eleven 
feet long and five feet wide. The spring is intermit- 
tent, and the water flows in the rainy winter season 
three to five times daily, in summer twice, and in the 
autumn only once. This interesting phenomenon is 
explained as follows: In the interior of the rock the 
water collects in a natural reservoir. This reservoir 
is connected with the outer basin by a siphon-shaped 
passage, which, acting by a natural law, empties the 
reservoir into the basin whenever the water in the 
reservoir reaches the highest level of the siphon-shaped 
passage ; and then, after the reservoir is emptied, time 
must elapse before the reservoir can be refilled and 
before another outflow is possible. The subterranean 
passage which connects this spring and the Pool of 
Siloam was likely constructed by Hezekiah. "And 
the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and how he made a 
pool and a conduit, and how he brought water into 
the city, . . . are they not written in the book 
of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" In this 
way he deprived the enemies who attacked Jerusalem 
of water, as there were no other springs and the cis- 
terns of the people were within the walls. The Pool 
of Siloam, fifty-two feet long- and nineteen feet wide, 
is now outside of the wall, south of the temple area, 
but evidently in ancient times it was within the walls. 

275 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Excavations have revealed near it parts of an old wall, 
a paved street, a bath house, and the remains of an old 
basilica. 

No sooner had our early breakfast been finished on 
our first morning in Jerusalem than we took a car- 
riage for a circuit around the northern side of the city 
to the Mount of Olives on the east. Of course we did 
not drive through the city, because that is impossible. 
The streets are too narrow, too steep, and too well 
filled with people. After passing through the modern 
settlements on the west and north of the city, in which 
may be found one-fourth of the population of Jeru- 
salem (it being estimated that one-half of the popula- 
tion of the city lives without the walls) and where the 
buildings are of modern syle, we came out on the ridge 
which extends around the city on the north side to 
the Mount of Olives on the east side. A finer pano- 
rama and a more thrilling sight no one ever beheld 
in an ancient city nestled among eternal hills, from 
which the generations for thirty centuries have looked 
with admiration, awe, and adoration. The Master's 
sympathetic words would not leave for a moment: 
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, and ye would not." 
With mingled sensations of sorrow and delight, of 
oppression and exhilaration, the Mount of Olives was 
reached, and we dismissed the carriage and began our 
excursions about this sacred hill. The ravages of 
the centuries have made uncertain many places about 
Jerusalem, but of this mountain which Jesus loved 
there can be no doubt. The traditions which designate 
certain spots are not always trustworthy, but that the 
places which are approximate to those where these 

276 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

great events happened have been pointed out cannot 
be denied. The Russian Christians who are of tlie 
Orthodox Greek faith have a handsome church on the 
summit of the Mount of OHves, which vs^as erected 
after the design of an old church the remains of which 
were found here. This is held by them to be the spot 
from which the Ascension took place. We went into 
the church, which was filled with worshipers, and en- 
gaged in spirit in the services which were in progress. 
After four months of heathenism and the long-con- 
tinued contact with the uncongenial worship of arro- 
gant Mohammedanism, my heart was strangely 
warmed as I heard even in a strange tongue the name 
of my Lord and saw the adoration of faithful men 
and women at the appearance of the cross, the sacred 
symbol of a sacrificial salvation. I forgot that they 
were Greek Catholics and I a Protestant, but with 
unpent tears I stood and worshiped with that unfa- 
miliar throng as they sang the praise of God and the 
glory of his Christ. From the six-storied Belvedere 
Tower by the church I had a magnificent view not 
only of Jerusalem, but of the surrounding country 
and even of the Dead Sea on the east, Bethlehem on 
the south, and the great Judean Mountains on the 
west. However, one is able to see the Dead Sea from 
the summit of the hill without the aid of the tower. 
The atmosphere is usually so clear that the blue waters 
seem to be quite near, although they are fifteen miles 
away and about 3,900 feet below the level of the sum- 
mit of the Mount of Olives. 

A small village covers the summit of this eastern 
hill, the Moslem population of which is somewhat fa- 
natical, and visitors are sometimes pelted with stones. 

277 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The boys in the streets may become familiar in order 
to extract purses from the pockets of unsuspecting 
persons. One offered himself to us as a guide, but 
he was required to keep at a proper distance. He 
took us to the Chapel of the Ascension, a site long 
accepted by tradition as a place from which Christ 
was caught up from his disciples. The footprint and 
the print of the staff are in the rock; but as these 
prints have been variously described in the last six 
or eight centuries, one may be allowed to reserve his 
credulity for other exacting demands. However, the 
scene of the Ascension has been located on the Mount 
of Olives since the days of Constantine. Not far from 
the Chapel of the Ascension is a Carmelite convent. 
Coming down the mountain toward Jerusalem, about 
halfway one finds the traditional spot where Jesus 
"beheld the city and wept over it." Farther on down 
the hill one comes to the Church of St. Mary Magda- 
lene, a Greek house of worship, surmounted by seven 
bulbous gilded domes and lavishly adorned, which was 
built in 1888 by the Russian Czar, Alexander HI. 
Near it is the garden belonging to the Greeks which 
they claim is Gethsemane. Just below the church is 
the Garden of Gethsemane, which is owned by the 
Franciscans, and which is usually considered the real 
spot of the agony. The garden is surrounded by a 
wall, and contains an irregular square about seventy 
yards long. There are eight venerable olive trees in 
the garden, and they are said to date from the time 
of Jesus; but here again one may be allowed some 
mental reservation. But that the real Garden of Geth- 
semane was in this neighborhood all scholars are prac- 
tically agreed. On the road leading from the Garden 

278 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

is a chapel which is said to cover the burial place of 
Mary, the mother of Jesus. This public highway leads 
across the brook Kidron, usually dry, by one of the 
places where Stephen is said to have been stoned, on 
up the hillside of St. Stephen's Gate. 

To enter St. Stephen's Gate in the east wall, on 
coming up from the Valley of Jehoshaphat, or, more 
properly, the Valley of Kidron, after a visit to Geth- 
semane and the Mount of Olives, one is compelled to 
run the gantlet which the begging lepers have main- 
tained for many 3^ears. A beggar in Jerusalem is by 
no means an unusual sight, and a traveler who had 
just made a journey through China, India, and Egypt 
was not unacquainted with the appeals of mendicants ; 
but the leper was a new creature in this society. These 
men and women of the "unclean" class were not in- 
clined to keep a respectful distance, but they would 
thrust their handless stubs into the very faces of pass- 
ers-by and cry out for backsheesh. The hand from 
which a finger or fingers were gone or an arm from 
which the hand had fallen had not the appearance of 
repulsive sores, but rather that of healed stubs from 
which a member had been amputated by the surgeon's 
knife. The more repugnant cases were likely not seen 
by the foreign visitors. 

The present wall of Jerusalem has eight gates, oiie 
of which (the Golden) has been closed for many cen- 
turies. On the north side is Herod's Gate ; northwest, 
Damascus Gate ; west, New Gate and Jaffa Gate ; 
south, Zion Gate and Dung Gate; east, Golden Gate 
and St. Stephen's Gate. The Damascus, Jaffa, and 
St. Stephen's Gates are those most used, as they con- 
nect the chief streets of the city with the three great 

279 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



highways which lead from the city. The Golden Gate 
in its present form dates from the seventh century 
after Christ, although this is the reputed place of the 
gate through which Jesus made his triumphal entry 
into Jerusalem. In 8io the Arabs built it up with 
the exception of a small opening. At the time of the 
Crusades the gate was opened for a few hours on 
Palm Sunday, and a great procession with palm 
branches entered from the Mount of Olives, led by 
the patriarch of Jerusalem riding on an ass. The 
Mohammedans have a tradition that on a Friday (their 
holy day) some Christian conqueror will enter by this 
gate and wrest the city from them. I confess that my 
experiences with the present authorities and citizens 
in Jerusalem and Palestine increase in me the desire 
to see this tradition become a historical fact before 
many years shall have passed. If there is a more 
offensive and exasperating people on earth than these 
same Ishmaelites, I am very glad that in all my jour- 
ney I was not forced to meet them. The "milk of 
human kindness" is not delivered in the communities 
where they predominate. One may sit in his comfort- 
able library in Europe and America and conclude that 
the zeal and the efforts of the Crusaders were of the 
highest folly, but a few days in Jerusalem will be suf- 
ficient to warm the blood of any earnest man and pre- 
pare him in spirit for just such contests as those fol- 
lowers of the cross religiously entered. 

The Gate of St. Stephen is regarded by those who 
accept the tradition as the gate through which the 
first martyr went to his death. The native Christians 
call it the Gate of Our Lady Mary because the road 
leads down into the Kidron Valley to the traditional 

2S0 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tomb of the Virgin. The doorway on the north side 
of the street within the gate leads to the Church of St. 
Anne, which occupies the traditional site of the home 
of the parents of Mary and the room in which the 
mother of Jesus was born. Farther on is the Fran- 
ciscan Chapel of Scourging, and the attendant can for 
a small coin show the hole in which rested the column 
to which the Galilean was bound. However, the place 
of scourging has been shown in several localities in 
the last few centuries. A few feet away on the south 
side of the street is the site of the ancient Castle of 
Antonia, the south side of which opens out on the 
Haram Ech Sherif, which incloses the temple area. 
This is one of the most interesting localities of Jeru- 
salem, as it was the real center of activities in the time 
of our Lord and not far from the place of Israel's 
greatest glory. The Via Dolorosa begins here, and 
the fourteen stations where the cross rested while 
Jesus was on the way to the place of the crucifixion 
are marked by tablets and usually by chapels. On the 
opposite side of the street from the Castle of Antonia 
is the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, which in all prob- 
ability covers the site of Pilate's judgment hall. The 
very stones of the old pavement are in the place which 
they occupied when Jesu-s was tried before the Roman 
Governor, and it is highly probable that these stones 
were pressed by the feet of the Nazarene as he passed 
out of the hall on the way up to Golgotha. From here 
the twenty-seven steps were taken which are now in 
the chapel near the Church of St. John Lateran, in 
Rome, and over which the faithful Roman Catholics 
go on their knees while they offer their prayers. In 

281 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

this same convent the sisters show a pedestal which was 
found on this site, and upon which it is claimed that 
Pilate sat when proclaiming a law or passing sentence. 
One cannot fail to be impressed with this place and be 
made to feel that this is really the spot where Jesus 
stood when the people cried : "Crucify him !" The 
street in front of the convent is crossed by the Ecce 
Homo Arch, which is supposed to mark the spot where 
Jesus stood when Pilate said : "Behold the man !" Part 
of this arch is inclosed within the convent and may be 
seen over the high altar of the little chapel. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built over the 
traditional site of Calvary and the new tomb of 
Joseph of Arimathea, in which the body of Jesus was 
laid. The distance between the Ecce Homo Arch and 
the church is not more than four hundred yards, but 
there is no direct street that connects the two places. 
The street from the Arch descends a little more than 
one hundred yards to the street from the Damascus 
Gate. Here is the third station, where Jesus sank 
under the cross, and near by is the reputed site of the 
rich man's house where Lazarus begged. The street 
runs southeast for one hundred yards, and at its in- 
tersection with the street leading west up the hill is 
the station where Simon the Cyrene took the cross. 
Near the seventh station the traditionalists claim that 
Jesus passed out of the city. On every Friday after- 
noon a Franciscan priest walks the way of sorrow and 
stops at each of the fourteen stations to offer prayers. 
The church is in no sense attractive in appearance, as 
it is hemmed in by other buildings. On the side front- 
ing the street there is an open court or quadrangle, 

282 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

■which is paved with yellowish stone slabs, and which 
is filled with traders and beggars. Here the Orthodox 
Greeks gather for their ceremony of foot-washing. 
The chapels on the right or west side of the quadrangle 
belong to the Greeks. On the left side the most im- 
portant building is the Monastery of Abraham, which 
covers the spots where Abraham discovered the ram 
and where he was on the point of sacrificing Isaac. 
Within the door of the Church, immediately in front, 
is the tomb of Philip, the English Crusader. Of course 
I wanted to visit the tombs of Melchizedek and Adam, 
and that privilege was granted me by the courteous 
attendant. I saw also the rocky chambers which the 
guide said were the tombs of Nicodemus and Joseph 
of Arimathea. I saw the spot to which tradition points 
as the place where Jesu-s appeared to Mary Magdalene 
on the morning of the resurrection. The Greeks have 
a chapel dedicated to Longinus, the soldier who, ac- 
cording to a fifth century tradition, pierced the Sav- 
iour's side, and whose blind eye was brought to its sight 
by some of the spurting fluid from the Crucified's side. 
But my incredulity robbed me of any thrilling sensa- 
tions on seeing these places, so sacred to many people. 
Even the Holy Sepulcher itself lost some of its sacred- 
ness by being surrounded by these objects whose tradi- 
tions repel more than attract thinking men. The Chap- 
el of the Holy Sepulcher is in the rotunda under the 
dome, and is twenty-six feet long and seventeen and a 
half feet wide. It was reconstructed of marble in 1810. 
From a kind of antechamber the visitor enters the 
Angels' Chapel, eleven feet long and ten feet wide, in 

the middle of which is a stone set in marble which is 

283 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

said to be that which covered the mouth of the tomb. 
Theie are fifteen lamps in this chamber, five belonging 
to the Greeks, five to the Latins, four to the Arme- 
nians, and one to the Copts. Through a low door one 
passes into the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, six and 
a half feet by six feet. From the ceiling hang forty- 
three lamps, four of which belong to the Copts and 
the rest to the other three sects. If one of these lamps 
were to disappear, there would be a religious war in 
that holy place. They are counted several times a 
day by the Mohammedan guards, who are stationed in 
all the churches which cover these traditional sites to 
prevent the priests of the various faiths from coming 
into deadly conflict. The whole Christian world suf- 
fers in shame for the prejudice and intolerance of 
these ignorant and ill-spirited followers of the lowly 
Man of peace. The tombstone, covered by a marble 
slab, is used as an altar, and mass is said there daily. 
A Greek priest is on duty, and he officiates for any 
pilgrim who wants holy water or the blessings from 
the representative of the Church. 

Under the same roof, only a few feet from the re- 
puted sepulcher, is Golgotha, which is reached by a 
flight of steps ascending fifteen feet. Some one asks: 
"Is this really the site of Calvary and the tomb from 
which Jesus arose? Did all those sad, sublime events 
in our Lord's suffering for the salvation of man take 
place on that high ground?" Who knows? Dr. 
George Adam Smith in his latest great work on Jeru- 
salem says: "But, after twenty-seven years' study of 
the evidence, I am unable to feel that a conclusion 
one way or the other is yet possible or perhaps ever 

284 




THE HOLY SEPULCHER. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

will be possible." Calvary and the tomb were with- 
out the wall, but where was the wall ? At present they 
are in the center of the inclosed city, but who can say 
where the wall was that Titus destroyed in 70 A.D.? 
All the explorations and excavations have failed to 
settle that question. General Gordon found a tomb 
and a garden northwest of the Damascus Gate which 
he claimed must be the real sites, but his claims have 
been discredited by all scholars. When all the evi- 
dence is considered, the Christian world will likely be 
content to regard the present place of the Holy Sepul- 
cher as the probable place of these great events. 

If we accept the tradition which dates back almost 
1,600 years, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher covers 
the most sacred spots in Jerusalem — the place of the 
crucifixion and the tomb in which lay the body of the 
Saviour of the world. The place which must be next 
in interest is the Dome of the Rock, the spot where, 
according to tradition, Melchizedek offered sacrifice, 
Abraham brought his son as an offering, and the 
Ark of the Covenant rested, and the spot without 
doubt where Israel made her offerings through many 
centuries. The Dome of the Rock was in the Temple, 
even in the Temple which Solomon built; and now it 
is in the center of the temple area, which is in the in- 
closed Haram Ech-Sheriff. Jerusalem has within its 
walls an area of two hundred and nine acres, of which 
the Haram Ech-Sheriff contains thirty-five acres in 
the southeastern Corner, The Mohammedans are very 
fanatical about this territory, and will permit no one 
to enter the inclosure — for it has a special wall around 
it 1,600 feet long on the west side, 1,530 feet on the 

285 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

east side, 1,024 feet on the north, 922 feet on the 
south — without a permission and a guard from the 
g-overnment. So we had to secure before entering 
the proper permit, a detailed officer from the city 
poHce force, and a kawass, or soldier, from the Amer- 
ican Consul representing the United States, dressed in 
full Turkish uniform and bearing a sword ; and led 
by these defenders, we entered the inclosure. 

While the building over the Dome of the Rock is 
called the Mosque of Omar because of the tradition 
that he built it when he took Jerusalem, yet it was 
probably built by the Saracen ruler in 691 A.D. The 
building is octagonal in shape, each side having a 
length of sixty-six feet. The lower part is covered 
with marble slabs, and the upper part with richly col- 
ored porcelain tiles. The interior is 175 feet in diam- 
eter. It has two cloisters separated by piers and col- 
umns which are marble monoliths and differ in form, 
height, and color, which indicates that they have all 
been taken from older edifices. By large Byzantine 
blocks they have been brought to the same height. 
Upon the second series of supports, consisting of four 
massive piers and twelve monolithic columns, rests the 
dome, which is ninety-eight feet high and sixty-six 
feet in diameter. The interior of the building is dark, 
but not so dark as to destroy the richness of the colors 
on the columns and the decorations, nor the brilliancy 
and beauty of the fifty-six stained-glass windows. But 
all else loses interest before the bare, rugged, unhewn 
piece of rock, fifty-eight feet long and forty- four feet 
wide, and which stands four and a half feet above the 
surrounding pavement. There is strong evidence that 
here was the great altar of burnt offering. The Mo- 

28G 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

hammedans have a legend that Mohammed ascended 
to heaven from this rock, and that when he did so it 
started to follow him, but was held down by the angel 
Gabriel, whose finger prints in the rock are shown. 
According to this legend, the rock has remained sus- 
pended in the air; and because the pilgrims were 
afraid it might fall and crush them, the authorities 
had supporting walls built, and that left a hollow- 
sounding cavern underneath. The cave under the rock 
is reached by eleven steps on the south side. Excava- 
tions, when they are permitted, may show that a cis- 
tern is under the rock. In the cave were shown places 
where Abraham, Elijah, David, Solomon, and Moham- 
med were accustomed to pray. Had one the necessary 
amount of credulity, he might see and hear some won- 
derful things about this sacred rock. The guide insist- 
ed on showing us the footprint of Mohammed, his 
banner, some of his beard, and a marble slab in which 
there were three nails. Formerly there were nineteen 
nails, but the devil has driven sixteen into the stone; 
and when the rest disappear, the world will come to an 
end. 

There are other buildings in this area, but they have 
interest only as places of Mohammedan worship and 
because of their Mohammedan legends. The Aksa 
Mosque, which is two hundred and sixty-four feet 
long and one hundred and eighty feet wide, has inter- 
est because of its great age. It is claimed that God 
brought Mohammed from Mecca to this place in one 
night. There is a probability that this was originally a 
basilica erected by the Emperor Justinian. The inte- 
rior of the building, with its nave and triple aisles, pre- 

287 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sents a striking appearance. This in indeed the Mo- 
hammedan cathedral of Jerusalem. While visiting the 
mosque, a funeral procession approached; and on in- 
quiry, we found that the dead man was no less a per- 
son than the President of the Mohammedan congrega- 
tion of Jerusalem. The bier was borne on the shoul- 
ders of men who changed so rapidly that no man could 
be a bearer more than a few feet. The Syrians have a 
belief that they can expect to be borne to a grave only 
if they aid in bearing the bodies of others. So if a fu- 
neral procession passes, the laborers in the street will 
leave their work long enough to bear for a few feet at 
least the body of the dead, whether or not they know 
who the dead may be. The professional mourners 
were in evidence just as at the time of our Lord, and 
their wailings were distressing in the extreme. 

The south side of the Haram rests upon massive 
vaulted substructions which date from a very early 
period. They are called Solomon's stables, although, 
they may have been erected in the Arabian period on 
the site of some earlier constructions. At the time of 
the Crusades the Frankish kings and Templars used 
them as stables for their horses. The stones are evi- 
dently ancient. There are thirteen galleries, the vault- 
ing of which is borne by eighty-eight piers arranged 
in twelve parallel rows. They extend 273 feet from 
east to west, and 198 feet from north to south. The 
series on the south side terminate in a triple gate, 
which indicates that there were three great ways com- 
ing up from Solomon's palace to the temple. There 
are various passages and courses here which have not 
been excavated. While exact spots cannot with cer- 
tainty be pointed out, yet one may be sure that here 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

he stands on "the Ophel/' the hill of Zion, and in the 
center of the "city of David." Here lived and wor- 
shiped the great kings of Israel who made glorious 
the record of the chosen people. But it is all in the 
hands of a bigoted, fanatical, semibarbarous race, by 
whom the Jew and the Christian are alike despised. 
Near the southern corner of the west wall the Jews 
assemble daily and in great numbers on their Sabbath 
and cry out in bitter wails for the rescue of their 
Jerusalem from the Saracen's hands. 

At this celebrated wailing place of the Jews the wall 
is sixty feet high, and the part exposed is 150 feet 
long. The lower courses of the wall consist of huge 
blocks, and the manner of their dressing indicates 
their great age. The weeping Jews kiss these stones, 
thinking that they belong to the ancient wall about 
the temple, and they give loud expression to their grief. 
The men will sit there for hours, reading their He- 
brew prayer books. On Friday evening they chant 
the following litany. The leader says, "For the palace 
that lies desolate," and the people respond, "We sit 
in solitude and mourn." The leader, "For the palace 
that is destroyed;" response, "We sit in solitude and 
mourn." The response is the same after each state- 
ment of the leader: "For the walls that are over- 
thrown," "For our majesty that is departed," "For 
our great men who are dead," "For the precious stones 
that are burned," "For the priests who have stum- 
bled," "For our kings who have despised Him." An- 
other antiphony is: "We pray Thee, have mercy on 
Zion." Response : "Gather the children of Jerusalem." 
Leader : "Haste, haste, Redeemer of Zion." Response : 
"Speak to the heart of Jerusalem." Leader: "May 
19 289 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

beauty and majesty surround Zion!" Response: "Ah, 
turn thyself mercifully to Jerusalem !" Leader : "May 
the kingdom soon return to Zion !" Response : "Com- 
fort those who mourn over Jerusalem." Leader : "May 
peace and joy abide with Zion !" Response: "And the 
branch of Jesse spring up at Jerusalem." 

One can scarcely visit a place in Jerusalem where 
his sympathy for the desolate Jew is not aroused. The 
temple area and the adjoining territory, the most 
sacred place in the world to the Jews, associated as 
it has been with every individual and event that had 
to do with the glory of Israel and the establishment 
of a true religion, is now fanatically held by the fol- 
lowers of Mohammed, and its sacred spots have been 
desecrated by the legends of this vicious man of bat- 
tle. Travelers must be guarded not only in this sec- 
tion of the city, but also in that portion where David 
is reputed to be buried. A visit to this part is inter- 
esting, as here many authorities have located Mt. Zion. 
It is near where the poet king is said to be buried, out- 
side the present Zion Gate, that tradition has put the 
house of Caiaphas and the upper room of the last sup- 
per and the scene of Pentecost, and here Peter denied 
his Lord. Here also is the site of the house of John 
surnamed Mark, where the earliest Christians assem- 
bled. Here now are the burial places of the Arme- 
nians, the Latins, and the Greeks. Adjoining the 
building which covers the traditional tomb of David 
is the church which is built on the plot of ground 
which was given in 1898 by the Emperor of Germany 
to the German Catholic Society. 

But I was glad to turn from tliis section, where the 
usual reverence of the Moslems — here manifested for 

290 




THREE JEWS IN JERUSALEM. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the tomb of David — is accompanied by outbreaks 
against Jews and Christians. I went to the Church 
of St. James, the old convent church of the Armenians, 
which contains the traditional prison w^here James, the 
brother of John, was beheaded by Herod. I saw the 
three stones which were brought, one from Mt. Sinai, 
one from the Jordan where the Israelites crossed, and 
one from Mt. Tabor, the scene of the transfiguration. 
The faithful pilgrims by the thousand kiss these sacred 
stones. From here I went into the dirty, ill-odorous 
section of the Jews. What could such a people do 
with Jerusalem if they had control of it? They are 
willing to live in dirt and employ themselves only in 
petty trading. They live largely by the gifts of the 
Jews in Europe and America. If Palestine ever blos- 
soms as a rose under the labor of the Jews, a new 
class must supplant those whom I saw. The Jew has 
been ever since the days of Joshua or even Abraham 
a man who sought a land of milk and honey, and then 
went in and took it from those who had made it val- 
uable. The pioneering that would be necessary to 
bring Palestine to its former glory will likely never 
be done by the Jews. But notwithstanding the filth 
and the narrow, congested streets, one felt safe in the 
midst of this inoffensive people. The old synagogue 
was especially interesting, as I had never before seen 
the priests with their phylacteries on their foreheads, 
nor the worshipers sitting in the sanctuary with their 
hats on. The "sons of the prophets" were studiously 
scanning the Talmud and giving themselves diligently 
to the search of the Scriptures. The Benjaminites, 
with their long locks falling down by their ears, were 
everywhere in evidence. 

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ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

While no other city in the world could have the 
same interest to a Christian or even a Jew, yet a long 
residence there would hardly be desirable. No one 
who has breathed the free air of America and Prot- 
estantism would be willing to endure the rule of the 
rough, overbearing Moslem, nor the intolerance of the 
narrow, dogmatical, un-Christlike Christian sects. The 
littleness, selfishness, and prejudice which Jesus con- 
demned in those who were his contemporaries are 
characteristics of the people who to-day occupy Jeru- 
salem. To find the sacredness which Paul, Jesus, 
Hezekiah, Solomon, and David gave to the ancient 
city one needs to clear away much rubbish and push 
aside the profane work of many accumulating cen- 
turies. Yet there is glory in the old place if the in- 
vestigator will go to its heart. 

292 



CHAPTER XX. 
Bethlehem^ Hebron, Jericho, and Jordan. 

BETHLEHEM is five and a half miles south of 
Jerusalem, and is easily reached by carriage, as 
the road is excellent. Leaving the Jaffa Gate, the 
first place of interest after crossing the Valley of Hin- 
nom is the St. John's Eye Hospital. The white lime- 
stone dust and the glaring sun make eye troubles very 
common in Jerusalem and Palestine. A short dis- 
tance from the hospital on the east side is the Mount 
of Evil Counsel, where Judas bargained with the 
Pharisees, and where later he hung himself. Farther 
on we came to the well from which the Magi drank on 
their way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Mary also 
rested here. At the distance of three miles we came to 
the summit of the hill, or the saddle of the hill, from 
which one looking north can see Jerusalem and looking 
south can see Bethlehem. On the left of the road is a 
large stone in which is a depression which, tradition has 
it, was caused by the body of Elijah, who is said to 
have slept here one night. Here also is a well from 
which the Holy Family drank. After a ten minutes' 
drive we came to the "Field of Peas," so called from 
the legend that Christ once asked a man what he was 
sowing, to which he replied : "Stones." The field pro- 
duced peas of stones, and some of them are still there. 
Such are the legends one finds everywhere in Pales- 
tine. 

The whole district about Bethlehem is well culti- 
293 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

vated. The hillsides are carefully terraced, the olive 
orchards show that they have been well cared for, 
and the fields indicate that they are in the hands of 
an industrious people. The fact is, the Bethlehemites 
are the most industrious people to be found in Pales- 
tine. The view from the great ridge highway was 
fascinating. The Dead Sea could be easily seen. As 
we approached Bethlehem we had a fine view of the 
fields of Boaz on the slopes to the east of the town, 
which Ruth gleaned just as the women of Syria glean 
after the reapers to-day. The tomb of Rachel was 
reached a mile and a half from Bethlehem. We were 
fortunate in finding the Jewish priest who has charge 
of it in the little building which covers the tomb, which 
is revered by Moslems, Jews, and Christians, and 
which is in all probability the real tomb of Jacob's 
much-loved wife. Just beyond the tomb the road di- 
vides, one leading to Hebron and one to Bethlehem. 
On the west of the main road lies the country where 
Saul, the son of Kish, was reared. We turned our 
faces to David's town of Bethlehem, which, as seen 
from this point, is exceedingly picturesque, situated 
on a hill and surrounded by rich valleys with their 
vineyards, olive orchards, fig orchards, and fields of 
golden grain. Here one is able to see what cultiva- 
tion will do for Palestine. 

Bethlehem is a city of 8,000 Christian people, with- 
out a Jew and with no more than a dozen Moslems. 
It is the cleanest place in Palestine. Our business in 
Bethlehem was to see the Church of the Nativity, and 
to that we went at once. The tradition which locates 
the birthplace of Jesus here in a cavern dates back to 
Justin Martyr, in the second century. I have no rea- 

294 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

sons for not accepting this tradition. The khan, or 
inn, is usually built about a cave, so as to provide 
shelter for the horses, cattle, and sheep. The shep- 
herds usually keep their flocks in caves at night, that 
they may have not only shelter, but also that they may 
more easily be protected from the wolves and jackals. 
At the birth of Christ "there were in the same country 
shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over 
their flock by night." A man who has lived in Pales- 
tine eighteen years says that the flocks were likely in 
the caves when the shepherds received the heavenly 
admonition of the birth of the Lord. About ten min- 
utes from the place of the Nativity is the Field of the 
Shepherds, in the middle of which is the Grotto of 
the Shepherds. But the chief place of interest is the 
"manger" in which the Saviour was laid because there 
v/as no room for him in the inn. The old church, 
which dates back almost to apostolic times, is charac- 
terized by a beautifiil simplicity. It is claimed that 
Hadrian destroyed a church which stood on this sacred 
spot, and that Constantine erected here a handsome 
basilica. It seems practically certain that some parts 
of the present structure belong to the Justinian period. 
The Greeks, the Latins, and the Armenians have bviilt 
their chapels about the Chapel of the Nativity, which 
is held in common. The Greeks have an elegant chap- 
el, and the Latins have just erected a fine chmxh and 
convent. These sects are fiercely intolerant of each 
other, and Moslem soldiers stand guard day and night 
to prevent any outbreak. In the Chapel of the Nativ- 
ity burn fifteen lamps, of which six belong to the 
Greeks, five to the Armenians, and four to the Latins. 
These are counted by the guards each time there is a 

295 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

change in those who officiate in this chapel. As I 
stood in that sacred place where the Saviour was born 
and looked upon the recess where the manger is said 
to have been and realized the fearful intolerance of 
these who claim to be followers of Him who was an- 
nounced with "good will toward men," I was made to 
feel the awful sinfulness of human religious prejudice. 
Yet I realize that there are Protestants who exhibit a 
similar spirit toward those who do not accept their 
beliefs and interpretations. Are these keepers of the 
sacred places in the Holy Land Christians? I went 
away from the Church of the Nativity asking myself 
the question: "What is it to be a Christian?" The 
Moslem is not the only man who is fanatical in his 
intolerance. The Jews in the Master's day had their 
Pharisaical leaders, Palestine and Rome show what 
Christians may become. Protestantism may well be on 
its guard. 

Eight of us left Jerusalem one morning at six 
o'clock in two carriages, and reached Hebron, the old 
home of Abraham, after a drive of twenty-three miles, 
at ten o'clock. It was a fine drive over a first-class 
road, with most interesting scenery on all sides. We 
had gone over a part of the same road when we went to 
Bethlehem ; but that is a road which one would be glad 
to travel once a week, across the beautiful Plains of Re- 
phaim, where David fought the Philistines, over the 
hill from which one can see Jerusalem and Bethlehem, 
and along that superb highway from which one gets 
such splendid views of the fields of Boaz, the pictur- 
esque hills of the city of the Nativity, and the charm- 
ing site of Zelah, the birthplace of Saul. The olive 

296 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

and fig orchards and fruit gardens of the Bethlehem 
community were even more beautiful on the second 
visit than on the first. 

About two miles beyond Bethlehem we came to 
Solomon's Pools, situated in a valley at the back of 
an old castle, and which serve as a reservoir for the 
old aqueduct that leads to Jerusalem. The pools are 
three reservoirs standing on different levels, the one 
draining into the other. The upper pool is 381 feet 
long by 228 feet wide by 25 feet deep. The middle 
pool is 423 feet by 159 feet by 38 feet deep. The low- 
est and largest is 582 feet by 148 feet by 48 feet deep. 
These reservoirs are hewn in the rock and lined with 
masonry. About 200 feet above the upper pool is a 
fountain from which the water is conducted to the 
pools by an underground aqueduct. It is thought by 
some that this fountain is fed by an artesian basin. 
In the Songs of Solomon we have the statement: "I 
made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees. 
. . . I made me pools of water." From this pas- 
sage many would prove that Solomon's Pools were 
made by Solomon, and the guides and conductors of 
tourists will insist that they were without doubt made 
by his order; but George Adam Smith says that the 
two lower pools were likely made by Herod, and the 
upper by some ruler in the preceding century, and that 
there is no evidence that any of them were built be- 
fore the exile. But they are great and ancient reser- 
voirs, and have served Jerusalem for two' thousand 
years. Some years ago Baroness Burdett-Coutts of- 
fered to repair the aqueduct and restore it to Jerusa- 
lem, which would have cost her about $250,000; but 

297 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the Turkish officials, true to their character, actually 
demanded a bribe or backsheesh, as they do when any 
house or public improvements are put up, before they 
would permit this benevolent woman to do this benevo- 
lent act for the benefit of the people of Jerusalem. 
The baroness became justly indignant and withdrew 
the proposition. This is but another illustration of 
the contemptible character of the Turk. 

The journey from Solomon's Pools is not particu- 
larly interesting, as the cultivated area is limited and 
tlie hills are rugged and barren. We saw the place 
where Jonah is said to have been buried, and we 
stopped a moment at the spring where Philip baptized 
the eunuch, and visited some fine rock tombs and large 
caverns near the spring. Immersion at this place 
would have been practically impossible. If the run- 
ning streams vv^ere as few in the days of the apostles 
as they are now, the immersionists were compelled to 
go to the river Jordan or use a pool. The baptistry is 
truly apostolic if the immersionists' contention is cor- 
rect. But this aside; Hebron is the subject. There 
is no hotel in that town of 20,000 people ; but that did 
not disturb us, as we had our lunch with us, which 
we ate in the home of the American missionary, whose 
kindness we greatly appreciated, and whose observa- 
tions were quite illuminating. Before doing so we 
visited the cave of Machpelah, which was purchased 
by Abraham from the sons of Heth, and in which were 
buried Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, 
and also, the Moslems say. Joseph. The Christians put 
Joseph's tomb near Jacob's well by Sychar. We did 
not see the cave or the tombs because the fanatical, un- 

298 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

lovable Mohammedans would not allow us. Except- 
ing the tomb of Mohammed and the black stone at 
Mecca, the tomb of Abraham is the most sacred place 
in all the Islam world. The tomb is inclosed with a 
large mosque with high walls about it, 220 feet by 
159 feet. Within are dervishes, saints ( ?), and guard- 
ians. We were allowed to ascend only five steps of 
the twenty or thirty that lead to the shrine. Only two 
Christians have ever entered this place, so we were 
told — one the present King of England when he was 
Prince of Wales, and that probably because Turkey is 
continually under obligation to England. But back- 
sheesh will work wonders, and a letter from the Gov- 
ernor of Jerusalem will be regarded. We ascended 
the hill behind the building and secured a good view 
of the top of the mosque. In reality we could have 
seen very little of real interest for Christians had 
we entered, for these patriarchs have long since gone 
into the finest dust. So we lost nothing and gained 
in our righteous contempt for the Moslem. All 
through the streets we had to have a guard to prevent 
boys from pelting us with stones. There are no Chris- 
tians and only 1,500 Jews in the place. The mission- 
aries have fifty children in their schools ; but the con- 
verts from Mohammedanism in Hebron are unknown, 
and they are almost unknown in Palestine. The Prot- 
estant missionaries have had in some places converts 
from the orthodox Greeks, and the Roman Catholics 
have made a few converts from the Greeks ; but that 
is about the extent of the results so far of missionary 
labors in that land. 

Hebron will always have interest as the ancient Kir- 
299 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

jath-arba, the home and burial place of the patriarchs, 
and as one of the cities of refuge which were given 
the sons of Aaron, Here David was first made king, 
reigned seven and one-half years, and was anointed 
king of Israel. Here Absalom had himself proclaimed 
king, and here we saw the pool over which David's 
young men hung the murderers of Ish-bosheth, the 
son of Saul. This pool is 84 feet long, 54 feet wide, 
and 27 feet deep ; and about it were gathered crowds 
of idlers, and in it splashed swimming boys, while 
from it water v/as taken in jars for use in the homes. 
The glass manufactories are usually visited by tour- 
ists. Here bottles are made which pilgrims and some 
natives buy to protect them from the evil one ; but the 
largest output is in glass bracelets, which are worn 
throughout Palestine. Water bottles from goatskins 
are also made here in large numbers. The town is 
unattractive, as it is a mass of masonry with narrow, 
dirty streets and with no verdure anywhere. But the 
old town is interesting, as we know that it stands upon 
the same site which it held in the days of Abraham, 
and it has escaped the ravages of war. The fields 
round about were given to Caleb for his inheritance. 
We went out into the Vale of Eshcol and saw the vine- 
yards from which to-day are taken bunches of grapes 
eighteen inches long and which weigh eight to ten 
pounds. We visited the old oak of Mamre. the tradi- 
tional oak of Abraham. It is twenty-six feet in girth, 
shows its great age, and is beginning to decline. 
It will in a few years fall, and the young tree by its 
side must in the future centuries take its place, as it 
perhaps has taken the place of another which once held 

300 




GOING TO MARKET IN PALESTINE. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the honor of sheltering the father of the faithful. A 
day in Hebron and its charming vicinity was most de- 
lightfully spent, and the return to Jerusalem in the 
evening was made in the glow of fond recollections. 

We left Jerusalem for Jericho early in the morning 
and drove — as do all others who go to Jericho, as 
there is no other way — around the north side of the 
wall past the Damascus and Herod Gates, down the 
steep hill into the Valley of Jehoshaphat or the Val- 
ley of the Kidron, down the valley to the cross- 
ing of the ravine, over by the Garden of Geth- 
semane, and round the south side of the Mount of 
Olives. From that hillside we had a fine view of the 
Pools of Siloam, the place of Solomon's palace, the 
field of blood bought by Judas, the Hill of Evil Coun- 
sel (where the Master was sold), and the Valley of 
Hinnom. The whole mountain side is covered with 
graves. On the south side of the Mount of Olives we 
began to skirt the deep ravine that leads from Jerusa- 
lem to the desert about Jericho. On the east side of 
the Mount of Olives we came into the village that 
covers the site of ancient Bethany. On our return 
we stopped here for an hour and visited the tomb of 
Lazarus, the traditional site of the home of Mary and 
Martha, and the house of Simon the leper, where 
Mary washed the Master's feet with her tears and 
dried them with her hair. Lazarus may never have 
lain in the tomb into which we went, and the two sis- 
ters may have had their home in another plot of 
ground; but here in this locality, with these rugged 
hills and narrow valleys, the friends of Jesus evidently 

lived, and there is a sacrednes-s in the place which time 

301 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



does not affect. The Moslems have made Lazarus one 
of their saints, and have built a mosque in the commu- 
nity to his memory. Beyond Bethany a short distance 
stands a Greek chapel in which is a stone which marks 
the -spot where Martha met Jesus when she told him of 
her brother's death. 

"Jordan is a hard road to travel" if one is coming 
to Jerusalem, as it is all uphill; but going from Jeru- 
salem to Jericho is all downhill, a distance of fifteen 
miles. Jerusalem is 2,550 feet above the level of the 
sea, and the Dead Sea is 1,300 feet below the level of 
the Mediterranean Sea; so the declivity amounts to 3,- 
850 feet, or about three-quarters of a mile. It is 
downhill all the way except a short rise as one ap- 
proaches the Samaritan Inn. The government has 
built a fine carriage road, and the hotel men and tour- 
ists' agents of Jerusalem keep it in good repair. It is 
cheaper to repair the roads than their vehicles. The 
country is rugged and rough, there being no vineyards 
or gardens and only occasional fields of grain and len- 
tils. There are good herds of sheep and goats. There 
are no villages along the way, and the Apostles' Spring 
and the Samaritan Inn furnish the only stopping 
places. The spring took its name from the tradition 
that the apostles drank here, and the new inn from 
the belief that here stood the inn where the Samaritan 
left the man referred to in the parable. This wild 
country has always been infested by robbers, and 
to-day no traveling party is safe from the attacks of 
Bedouins unless a Bedouin guard has been secured 
to accompany the party. The Bedouins of that sec- 
tion are now under the control of a rich sheik, and he 

302 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

insures protection if one of his men is employed. Our 
Bedouin was paid a good fee; but when he bade us 
good-by on our return, he insisted on shaking hands 
with the men of the party, and he Hngered until each 
one deposited in his hand an extra shilling as back- 
sheesh. 

The road beyond the Samaritan Inn became steeper 
and rougher the farther we went. The hills about us 
became more rugged. At a certain point the carriages 
were stopped, and the passengers got out and walked 
up to the edge of a great gorge several hundred feet 
deep and sublime in its ruggedness. This was the 
channel of the Brook Cherith, and the crag pointed 
out was the reputed resting place of the prophet 
Elijah when he was fed by the ravens. We drove a 
mile or so farther, and then the declivity became so 
great and the road sO' dangerous that we stepped from 
the carriage and completed the journey down to the 
plains on foot. But it was from this point that we 
had an unusual view. The plain of the Jordan 
stretched out before us like a map. On the southern 
end was the smooth blue water of the Dead Sea. At 
our feet were the sites of ancient Jericho. In the plain 
was a tree which marked the site of the ancient Gilgal, 
where the Israelites first camped on this side of the 
Jordan, where the last manna fell, where the taber- 
nacle was set up, where Samuel judged the people, 
where Saul was made king, and where he disobeyed 
God and lost his kingdom. Beyond was the cluster of 
green shrubbery that traced the course of the Jordan, 
and beyond the Jordan were the mountains of Moab 
and Gilead, with the peaks of Nebo and Pisgah promi- 
ses 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

nent on the sky line. Jesus came down this rugged 
hill when he went to the Jordan to be baptized, and 
all who came and went between Jerusalem and Jericho 
and the country beyond Jordan were forced to make 
their way up this same depression through which we 
had come. The Arabian hosts that swept up from the 
desert always came over this road. While we stood 
looking out upon the plain and the desert beyond, we 
had only to look behind us to see the tower that crowns 
the Mount of Olives. 

Entering the plain, we came to the site of the Jeri- 
cho of Herod, which was the Jericho of the New Tes- 
tament. Here is now a pool 564 feet by 471 feet which 
formerly belonged to a system of conduits which once 
irrigated this district and made it a paradise. The 
date palm, the pomegranate, the orange, and other 
tropical fruits grew luxuriantly in the plain. As Jeri- 
cho is 820 feet below the level of the sea, the climate 
is always warm, and after May i it is exceedingly hot 
and enervating. Mark Antony presented this district 
to Cleopatra, and she gave it or sold it to Herod, who 
embellished it with palaces and made it his winter 
residence. He died here. From his palace he could 
see the prison of Machserus, some twelve miles away 
on the east -shore of the Dead Sea, in which John the 
Baptist was imprisoned and where he was murdered to 
satisfy the whim of his niece and stepdaughter. In 
twenty minutes we were in the little village of the pres- 
ent Jericho, with its squalid hovels and its three hun- 
dred dirty, lazy, degenerate inhabitants. We found 
comfortable rooms in the hotel with a Greek proprietor, 
but the food and water which we ate and drank had 

304 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

been sent down the evening before by the proprietor 
of our hotel in Jerusalem. However, before we ate 
we drove out a mile to the spring where Elisha "went 
forth to the spring of the waters, and cast salt in 
there. ... So the waters were healed unto this 
day." By an aqueduct the water from this spring 
is carried to all parts of the village, and by it Jericho 
and its gardens are made an oasis in the desert. A 
few yards north of the spring is the reputed site of 
the Jericho whose walls fell when Joshua and his hosts 
blew the rams' horns. During the last year, by the 
permission of the Turkish government, scientific ex- 
plorers have done some excavating in this mound 
which has been pointed out for many centuries as the 
site of the ancient city. Most gratifying results have 
already been obtained. Fallen walls have been found, 
and the mud bricks are declared to be of Canaanitish 
origin. The explorers are inclined to believe fully 
that this is really the old city wall which Joshua at- 
tacked after entering the land of Canaan. The re- 
ligious world will await with great interest the con- 
clusions of these archaeological explorers. A visit to 
the spring and these excavations with the exposed an- 
cient walls impresses the tourist that he is looking on 
scenes of early Bible times. 

The three hours' rest in the hotel in the middle of 
that extremely hot day was altogether too quickly 
passed; but as we wanted to visit the Dead Sea and 
the Jordan and spend some time at each place and then 
get back to the hotel by seven o'clock, it was neces- 
sary to begin our journey by three o'clock, as it is 
some six or seven miles across the plains to th^ Dead 
8Q 305 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Sea and there is no road. The traveler who gets 
caught by a heavy rain in tliis plain will have great 
trouble in continuing his journey, as the sand, with 
its mixture of salt and gypsum, makes a mud with- 
out a bottom. But we had no fear of rain that day; 
and after passing the tower which marks the site of 
the sycamore tree that Zaccheus climbed that he might 
see Jesus, we took direct line across the sandy desert 
to the Dead Sea. In an hour we were on its shore, 
and in a few minutes some of us were enjoying a 
bath and a swim in its oily, bitter, briny waters. Sink- 
ing was impossible ; but swimming was difficult, as the 
feet were greatly inclined to seek the surface, while 
the head, with its bones, was drawn to the water. 
One can lie on the back and float without any trouble. 
The water contains twenty-five per cent solid sub- 
tance, seven of which is common salt. The chloride 
of magnesium gives it the nauseous, bitter taste, while 
the chloride of calcium makes it smooth and oily to the 
touch. Fresh eggs float with one-third above the sur- 
face. There is no kind of life in the sea, and even 
sea fish will die speedily. The Dead Sea is forty-seven 
miles long, with its greatest breadth ten miles. It is 
hemmed in by sharp, precipitous mountains as far as 
the eye can see from the northern end. A small steam 
yacht is now used on its waters by the company which 
has a large salt factory on its shore. A large amount 
of salt is extracted from its water every year. The 
mouth of the Jordan is about three-fourths of a mile 
from where tourists usually visit the lake. After a 
two-mile drive, we came to the ford of the Jordan 
where the Israelites are supposed to have crossed into 

305 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

Canaan, and where Elijah divided the waters by the 
stroke of his mantle. Here also it has been claimed 
that Jesus was baptized, although many students of 
the land put that place farther north. It is here that 
the pilgrims come for their bath in the Jordan. The 
stream is not more than one hundred feet wide and 
about ten to twenty feet deep, but it has a treacherous 
current, and many persons have lost their lives in try- 
ing to swim across it. The water has a yellowish- 
brown color and a peculiar taste. It contains numer- 
ous fish. Its banks are covered with tamarisks, wil- 
lows, and poplars. In the rainy season the stream 
overflows its banks. Were the Jordan and the Dead 
Sea disappointing ? No. A more interesting, instruct- 
ive, and enjoyable trip one can scarcely have. We 
turned our faces toward Jericho with a song of praise 
in all our hearts. We passed near the Monastery of 
St. John the Baptist and through the site of ancient 
Gilgal. We looked to the abrupt, rugged mountain 
behind Jericho and a little to the northwest, and there 
was the reputed place of the temptation, in which is 
a grotto where Jesus is said to have spent his forty 
days. We saw on the roadside the sidr tree, the thorns 
of which were made into the crown that the crucified 
One wore. We saw also a hyena lurking in the bushes 
in a ravine. The Bedouins in their tents were con- 
spicuous in several places. We came to Jericho as 
the red sun bade us his day's farewell, and we found 
rest for our weary bodies. We were on our way to 
Jerusalem at four o'clock the next morning, and by 
noon we were at home after one of the most memora- 
ble journeys of a lifetime. 

307 



CHAPTER XXL 
From Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee. 

FROM Jerusalem to Nazareth the distance in an 
air line is about sixty-five miles, but by the road 
and the trail it is not far from eighty. There is 
a good carriage road as far as Lubban, about twenty 
miles from Jerusalem ; , but the rest of the journey 
must be made on horseback or on camels. We made 
the trip to Lubban in four hours, and there we took 
horses (Arabian steeds they were, although they re- 
sembled Texas ponies) and proceeded to Nablus, the 
ol-d city of Shechem, where we spent the night. The 
next day we .covered the distance from Nablus to 
Jenin, and the third day we arrived in Nazareth soon 
after noon. Three days of more difficult and exhaust- 
ing travel none of us ever want to see, and yet the 
entire journey was so crowded with exciting interest 
that we scarcely felt the fatigue until we halted for 
the rest; but then the weary joints and strained mus- 
cles made due complaints to which we were com- 
pelled to listen. 

Our carriage, containing four tourists, the drago- 
man, and the driver, left Jerusalem at six o'clock in 
the morning, passed the Tomb of the Kings north- 
west of the city, and then turned north over Mount 
Scopus, the mountain on which Titus and his army 
camped when besieging the city, and from which one 
gets in the morning hours a glorious view of Jerusa- 

308 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

lem nestled among the hills. In a few minutes we 
passed Nob, where David took the showbread, and 
then Gibeah, where Saul tarried when Jonathan made 
his raid. Here are the ruins of a large building which 
was probably erected by the Crusaders. After two 
miles, on our left we saw the ruins that mark the site 
of Mizpeh, where Samuel judged the people of Israel. 
In less than two hours we reached Ramah of Benja- 
min, where Samuel was born and buried. It now has 
about fifteen families. In a half hour we came to 
Atarath Addar, which marked Ephraim's border line. 
After crossing a ridge which forms the watershed be- 
tween the Mediterranean and the Jordan, we came to 
Beeroth, a village of t,ooo people, nine and a half 
miles from Jerusalem, which is supposed to be the 
place where Joseph and Mary missed Jesus when he 
was among the doctors. The country here is very 
beautiful, the fig trees and olive trees are numerous, 
and the vineyards are luxuriant. 

At a distance of nineteen miles from Jerusalem, on 
a hill to the right, is the site of ancient Bethel, where 
Jacob had his vision and where Jeroboam set up 
shrines for idolatrous worship. The stone which Jacob 
used as a pillow is, according to tradition, the stone 
which is in the seat of the coronation chair in West- 
minster Abbey, on which every ruler of England since 
Edward I. has sat when receiving the crown of En- 
gland. This stone is said to have been taken to Ire- 
land by early Christian missionaries, and then to Scot- 
land, where it was used in the throne of the Scottish 
kings for centuries ; and then finally, in the reign of 
Edward the Confessor, it was taken to London, where 

309 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 



it has since remained, and where it may be seen by any 
visitor to Westminster Abbey. Bethel occupies a con- 
spicuous place, the hill on which it stands rising sev- 
eral hundred feet above the plain. There are several 
ancient tombs, marble columns, pieces of dressed 
stones, some with inscriptions and others with evi- 
dences of elaborate carving; and near the summit is 
a circle of large blocks of stone, where, the Moslems 
say,' Jeroboam built his shrines. But this well-authen- 
ticated spot has not been marked by the Christians as 
have other places in Palestine. 

Shiloh is about an hour's ride from Bethel and on 
.the right of the highway. No place in Palestine was 
more closely connected with the religious life of the 
Israelites than Shiloh. Here the tribes received their 
allotments, here the sanctuary was set up, here Samuel 
was called, here Eli died, here Abijah lived, here the 
prophets were trained. The Mohammedans have here 
a small mosque, but the Christians have built no mon- 
uments to designate this sacred place; but all visitors 
to Palestine will visit Shiloh with great interest. Only 
a short distance farther and we came to Lubban, the 
ancient Labonah, where the carriage road ends and 
where we mounted our horses for the long sixty-mile 
ride to Nazareth. The horses were not good travelers, 
and the small English saddles were not satisfactory for 
a long, hard journey. Although the horses were shod 
with a steel shoe which covered the entire foot, yet 
they were sure-footed in climbing the rocky hills and 
in making their way through the narrow defiles which 
were not unusual in crossing the various mountain 
ranges. It was here, after crossing a high range of 

310 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

hills, that we entered the beautiful rich plain of Mukh- 
nah. We passed near the disputed tombs of Eleazar 
and Phinehas. At the end of our journey across the 
plain we came to Jacob's Well, one of the well-authen- 
ticated spots in Palestine. The broad, fertile plain 
was covered with ripe, golden grain or with plots of 
potatoes or other vegetable products. There were 
some spots that were not being cultivated, as they were 
left idle for rest. There were no fences anywhere; 
but the great fields were divided into small plots by 
rows of heaps of stones which are known in the Bible 
as landmarks, and which could be removed only by 
incurring curses. The lands for the most part do not 
belong to individuals, but to the villages. All the peo- 
ple live in villages for convenience, company, and pro- 
tection. At a certain time of the year the lands be- 
longing to a village are distributed for the year to 
the various families of the village, and a family must 
cultivate its allotment for the year or else have no 
farm. Sometimes it happens that a family will have 
a very fertile strip of land for one year, and the next 
year the same family may get the poorest strip. A 
man may move from his native village to another, 
and he may sell his right in the village for a number 
of years ; but he cannot sell the land. The village may 
sell its land, as some villages have done, to rich in- 
dividuals who now are getting large land interests in 
Palestine; but the sale is not easily consummated, as 
there are so many people to be consulted. The vil- 
lages often have their farm products in common, and 
large village granaries may be seen in the town. The 
private granaries are usually in the homes, and the 

311 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

women draw out at will what grain they need for 
grinding. The women do practically all the grinding 
in their private apartments or courts. One stone lies 
on another; the upper stone has a hole in the center, 
through which the grain is poured, and a handle some 
ten inches long, which is driven in a hole near the rim ; 
and by this handle two women sitting on the ground 
turn the upper stone and grind the grain. The 
meal runs out at a groove on one side into a basin. 
The picture of the last day as given by Matthew, "The 
two women grinding at the mill, one taken and the 
other left," would have the same meaning in Palestine 
to-day as in the days of Jesus. "When the sound of 
the grinding is low," it is night or there is sorrow or 
distress, and at all other times there is the constant 
murmur of the mill in every home. Why do they not 
have steam mills as the people of Europe and America ? 
Who can answer the whys of Palestine or the Orient ? 
Jacob's Well is in an open field; but recently it has 
been inclosed by some Greek priests, who have an 
altar at the cistern. An old basilica, which was prob- 
ably erected in the fourth century, once covered the 
cistern; and remains of the old sanctuary, with its 
columns, are quite numerous. As soon as we ap- 
proached the well the priests rushed from their clois- 
ters into the crypt of the Crusaders' Chapel, which 
now covers the opening, and began reciting their 
prayers or else (I did not understand what they said, 
and was not sorry that I could not). One lighted a 
candle and let it down some sixty to seventy feet. The 
cistern is lined with masonry, and is seven and one- 
half feet in diameter. There was no water in it. It 

312 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

is usually dry in summer. Here Jesus had that mem- 
orable conversation with the Samaritan woman. Two 
hundred yards to the north and across a slight depres- 
sion in the land is the village called Sychar. In the 
valley between the well and Sychar is the tomb of 
Joseph, according to the belief of the Christians. The 
Moslems claim that the mummy of Joseph was taken 
to Hebron to the cave of Machpelah, and they will 
not allow the tomb at Sychar to be opened. As Jesus 
looked to the east, north, and south from the well he 
saw the fields "white unto the harvest" if he saw them 
in the month of May. Looking to the west, he and 
the woman saw Mt. Gerizim rising abruptly before 
them ; while on the north of the pass running east and 
west was Mount Ebal, Through the pass, a quarter 
of a mile away, they could see Shechem, now the city 
of Nablus. Pointing to Mount Gerizim, she said: 
"Our fathers worshiped in this miountain." The 
Samaritans have always worshiped there, and the only 
Samaritans in the world worship there to-day. How- 
ever, their number has decreased until there are now 
only one hundred and sixty of them. The intermar- 
riage of relatives is fast bringing about the extinction 
of the race. The men are handsome and six feet or 
more tall, while the women are blondes and beautiful. 
They are hated by Jews and Moslems alike; but they 
continue their same manner of life, following strictly 
and literally every order of worship and sacrifice 
which is to be found in the Pentateuch. They have 
in their synagogue a copy of the Pentateuch, which is 
one of the most ancient manuscripts in existence. Al- 
though it was not found until the seventeenth century, 

313 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

yet the Samaritans claim that it was written by the 
grandson of Aaron. The best experts locate its origin 
shortly after the beginning of the Christian era. A 
manuscript is shown to visitors for two francs a per- 
son, but the original is not often seen. The Samari- 
tans claim that Mount Gerizim is the scene of Abra- 
ham's sacrifice, and Dean Stanley said: "Beyond all 
doubt, Isaac was offered on Gerizim." Dr. Thomson 
shared this opinion. The Holy Place is on the eastern 
extremity of the mountain. But little more than ruins 
now mark the sacred place of these Babylonians. 

We spent the night in a comfortable German hotel 
in Nablus, the successor of the ancient Shechem. It 
is a city of 25,000 people, and is the most populous and 
important commercial city between Jerusalem and 
Damascus. The inhabitants are all Moslems except- 
ing 1,000 Christians, 200 Jews, 150 Protestants, and 
160 Samaritans, and they are as fanatical and bar- 
barous as the Mohammedans of Hebron. They have 
eight large mosques, and among them the finest in 
Palestine. No tourist would feel safe in the town alone. 
But the city is in one of the most beautiful spots in 
Palestine. There is an abundant supply of water in 
the community, there being twent3'-seven springs, and 
water is the most essential element for this country. 
The town is solidly built of stone ; the streets are nar- 
row, crooked, dark, and dirty ; the bazaars are in the 
streets that are arched and vaulted and consequently 
gloomy and damp ; the shops are well stocked, and 
trade is usually brisk in many ways. It is the liveliest 
city in Palestine. But to this tourist it had its greatest 
interest not because of its great soap factories, its 

314" 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

fine market, and its busy bazaars, but because here 
Jacob bought his farm, here on Mount Gerizim and 
Mount Ebal the blessings and curses were read ac- 
cording to the order of Moses (Deut. xxvii.), here 
Joshua called the tribes together in his old age and 
commanded them to choose whom they would serve, 
and here for centuries the kings of Israel were 
crowned, Shechem, Samaria, Nablus — different names 
of a great and sacred locality. 

The day's journey of twenty-three miles from Nab- 
lus to Jenin was very exhausting, as there was much 
mountain-climbing, with many rough and narrow trails. 
We left Nablus at six o'clock, and arrived in Sebaste, 
the old city of Samaria, in two and a half hours, 
Nablus is on the watershed of the country, and we 
passed to the Mediterranean side, and for almost an 
hour we had a good road through a beautiful valley; 
but we left this road, which leads to Haifa, and took 
the trails across the hills. We passed through a nar- 
row valley to the hill on which Samaria is situated. 
We visited the old Crusaders' Church, which marks 
a traditional site of the burial place of John the Bap- 
tist, but which has been converted into a mosque, I 
went into the Baptist's tom^b. We then rode up to the 
summit of the hill through the old colonnade which 
Herod erected in honor of his emperor, and then 
around the hill on the north side to the excavations 
which are being conducted by some professors of Har- 
vard University, Isaiah compared this hill to a crown. 
From it one gets a magnificent view, the Mediter- 
ranean Sea, Mount Carmel, and the Mountain of Gilboa 
all being visible. The surrounding valleys were glori- 

315 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ous in their fields of grain. The explorers have dug 
out the foundations of a fine old building, probably a 
place of worship. They have found some interesting 
walls on the west side of the crown of the hill. The 
colonnade is sixty feet wide, with three driveways, 
and it is one mile in length. On the north side of the 
hill are other ruins of columns which evidently mark 
an old hippodrome. At the time of Flerod the Great 
Samaria was evidently possessed of great splendor, 
and as a capital for many kings of Israel it was known 
among the nations. 1 aq world will watch with great 
interest the archaeological excavations which are being 
conducted by the Harvard professors. For location 
Samaria could not be excelled. 

We descended the hill on the north side and pro- 
ceeded across the valley about a mile wide; and when 
we ascended the hill on the other side, we had an ex- 
tensive view of Samaria and the charming surround- 
ing country. We crossed the ridge and descended to 
the narrow valley that leads to the Plain of Dothan, a 
country made famous by the sale of Joseph, or more 
properly by their casting him into a pit which is here 
pointed out. Here also Elisha was surrounded by 
Syrian soldiers, whom he smote with blindness. The 
plain is very beautiful, as are all these valleys of Pales- 
tine, hemmed in as they are by the treeless but grass- 
clad and flower-bedecked mountains. From the hill- 
top overlooking Dothan one sees one of the largest 
olive orchards in Palestine. We here passed over the 
border between Ephraim and Manasseh ; and following 
a narrow ravine, we soon came to Jenin. 

The night's rest at Jenin was quite refreshing, al- 
316 




Herod's temple colonnade, samaria. 



. -SI*' 




TABORj THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

though the fatigue from that exhausting day did not 
leave for a week. To reach Nazareth we had seven 
hours' travel; and so we set out in the gray dawn at 
five o'clock, and by continuous travel, with an hour's 
rest at Nain, we reached Nazareth at one o'clock. On 
quitting Jenin we entered at once the wonderful Plain 
of Esdraelon, the battle ground of the centuries and 
the finest fields in the kingdom of Israel. For two 
hours we rode across this great plain, when we came 
to Jezreel, the city of Ahab, the city where Jezebel 
met her awful death, the city that contains Naboth's 
Garden, the place of Jehu's furious driving. On the 
east of the city, a short distance away, is the Moun- 
tain of Gilboa, where Saul and Jonathan were slain. 
On the north side of the mountain, just east of Jez- 
reel, is the ravine where Gideon chose his three hun- 
dred valiant warriors ; and farther east is Endor, where 
Saul visited the witch. The Syrians are still super- 
stitious and believe in fortune-telling and communica- 
tion with the spirits of the dead. From the hill of 
Jezreel we had a magnificent view, seeing on the south- 
west Megiddo, on the west the wall of Mount Car- 
mel, on the north Little Hermon (a mountain whose 
name is due to Jerome's mistaken interpretation of 
the eighty-ninth Psalm), and on the east beyond Jor- 
dan the country of Jabesh-gilead. One leaves this 
spot with regret. As we passed down the slope, we 
found the villagers — men, women, and children — by 
the scores, even by the hundred, reaping the v/heat 
and gleaning the fields. The men were reaping with 
their sickles, the women and children were gleaning 
every last head of wheat left behind by the reapers, and 

317 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

boys were taking the bundles on donkeys to the thrash- 
ing floor. The grain is tramped out by the oxen and 
the donkeys, and the chaff is separated from the wheat 
by the wind when the mass is thrown up just as in the 
days of the Master. When the wheat is sold, the 
buyer gets for a bushel all he is able to put into the 
measure. So he heaps up, shakes together, presses 
down, and puts in as long as a grain will lie on. If 
he does not get good measure, it is his own fault. 

The hour's ride across the plain to the opposite hill- 
side, where we came to Shunem, was exceedingly en- 
joyable, for the rich grain everywhere was cheering 
to one who had so recently crossed the parched land 
of India. I had been told that Palestine was greatly 
disappointing; but to my surprise, I had never found 
a more fascinating country. There are no trees, be- 
cause the government officials tax heavily the people 
for every tree that they possess. So they keep as few 
as possible, and they are usually olive or fig trees, 
which produce a revenue. But even without the trees 
the rich, fertile fields, the picturesque and grass-car- 
peted mountains, the narrow and wild ravines had a 
peculiar fascination for me. From Shunem we looked 
back on Esdraelon, Jezreel, and Gilboa with delight, 
while we were glad to come into the town of that 
good woman who entertained the prophet Elisha, who 
restored to life the son who had died of sunstroke in 
the fields upon which we were looking when he went 
out to the reapers. From Shunem we went around the 
west end of Little Hermon, and after an hour we came 
to Nain, where the Lord raised to life the widow's son. 
The few wretched clay huts were uninteresting, but 

318 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the small Franciscan chapel gave us shade for an 
hour's rest. Mount Tabor, the mount of transfigura- 
tion, was in full view. We rode across the Plain of 
Nain in a half hour, and then ascended the hill; and 
after a short distance on the other side we came to 
Nazareth, the end of our long horseback journey. The 
rest of the half day and the night in that city that 
knew the childhood, youth, and young manhood of 
our Lord seemed the rest to which he invited all men 
when he said : "Come unto me . . . and rest." 

Nazareth would be attractive to any visitor, even 
had it never been the home of Jesus and his mother, 
because of its beautiful location on the mountain side, 
with the high hills about it and the superb view which 
can be had from its heights. Many of the buildings 
are tasteful, with dazzling white walls around them, 
while the green framework of cactus hedges, fig trees, 
and olive trees makes a sight most pleasing. The 
town has a population of ii,ooo, of whom 4,000 are 
Moslems, 4,000 Orthodox Greeks, 1,000 United 
Greeks, 1,500 Latins, 200 Maronites, and 250 Prot- 
estants. Many of the women are quite beautiful ; and 
when they are dressed in their gay embroidered jackets 
and their foreheads and chests are laden with their 
coins, they make a very attractive appearance. The 
district is comparatively rich, and the town shows a 
decided thriftiness. Evidently the same could not 
have been said of the place when Jesus lived there, as 
it must have been a small village of mean reputation. 
But the town is greatly enlarged ; and although it may 
occupy a somewhat different location from that of 
Jesus's time, yet here the carpenter's son came to his 

319 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

manhood, and the points of real interest are those with 
which his Hfe was concerned. The visit to the church 
which covers the site of the Virgin's home, where she 
received the annunciation that she was to be the 
mother of the Messiah, took on a sacred meaning. 
Through the monastery, within which is the Church 
of the Annunciation, we had to pass to reach the place 
of Joseph's carpenter shop. It, too, is covered by a 
chapel. Not far away was the traditional site of the 
synagogue in which Jesus preached. But the only place 
of which we felt certain was Mary's Well, which is the 
only spring that the town possesses. Mary and her son 
must have come here with their jars for water. The 
motley throng which gathered about the spring in the 
evening was quite entertaining to the visitors, and es- 
pecially as the girls and women trotted away with 
the jars of water on their heads unsupported by their 
hands. The mount of precipitation, from which the 
throng tried to throw Jesus, is east of the town, and 
from it one may have a magnificent view of the whole 
Plain of Esdraelon, with Endor, Nain, Jezreel, Little 
Hermon on the south. Mount Carmel on the west, 
Great Hermon with its snow-covered peaks on the 
north. Mount Tabor, the basin of Tiberias, and the 
country beyond on the east. From the hilltop back 
of the town, on which the English Protestant Girls' 
Orphanage is situated, the survey of the Valley of 
Nazareth and the surrounding country is gorgeous. 
One leaves Nazareth, with its hills and its valleys, its 
beautiful homes and gardens, its sacred spots and holy 
atmosphere, with a sense of regret ; but, after all, per- 
haps it is best not to remain until the halo fades away. 

320 




MARY S WELL, NAZARETH. 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The morning sun flooded the valley with golden 
light as we took the carriage for our four hours' drive 
to Tiberias; and as we climbed the hill east of the 
town, we looked back upon the beautiful little sacred 
city and went away with a picture richer in color, 
finer in execution, and more precious in meaning than 
any we had caught before in all this fascinating land. 
After a short distance we came to the road that leads 
up to Mount Tabor, which must be ascended on foot. 
It is 1,846 feet high, and when seen from Nain it has 
the form of a dome, but from the northwest it has the 
appearance of a truncated cone. On it are the ruins of 
an old castle and of a Crusaders' church. The Greeks 
and the Latins have churches, and both claim that the 
actual spot of the transfiguration is within their church. 
The view from the summit is very extensive. The 
natural view was sufficient to make Peter want to 
build tabernacles here ; and when the divine glory was 
added, it is no wonder that he wanted to take up a per- 
manent abode. But we continued our journey, and 
in two hours we were in Cana, where the first miracle 
— that of turning the water into wine — was wrought. 
We saw the big stone jars that Jesus used, so the 
Greek priest told us between the prayers which he 
muttered when we went into his church; but our 
credulity was not equal to such a test. In the Latin 
chapel which occupies the site of a church of the Cru- 
saders (which in turn succeeded a church that prob- 
ably dates back to the third or fourth century) w« 
saw what the priest claimed to be the remains of an 
old synagogue. Here, we were told, the miracle took 
place, and we were shown a copy of a jar which was 
21 321 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

taken from here and which is preserved now in some 
Roman Catholic cathedral as the water jar that Jesus 
used. While the arguments were not convincing, yet 
I greatly enjoyed the sight of the remains of the old 
synagogue. The site of the house of Nathanael was 
also pointed out. The little, dirty village contains 
about eight hundred people, half of whom are Mos- 
lems. The children ran after us with laces for sale 
and with a general cry for backsheesh. The village 
in Palestine is nothing more than a collection of mud 
huts without windows except small holes, and without 
floors and without chimneys. They are covered with 
straw and mud. The house usually has one large 
room, which is used by the male members of the fam- 
ily and for the reception of strangers. In case the 
owner is wealthy, a room is built above this, called 
the upper chamber, and is reserved for an honored 
guest. Adjoining the large room one or two rooms 
are built for the women and girls, where they live and 
do their cooking, washing, and other work. The 
natives spend most of their time in the summer on 
the roofs of their houses, where booths are built of 
weeds and cane, in which the members of the family 
sleep. As there are no fireplaces, the fire is made in 
the center of the large room ; and the smoke from the 
burning wood often becomes so dense that one can 
scarcely see across the room, and of course the eyes 
of all present must sufifer. In the cities the brasiers 
are filled with charcoal, and the people sit around 
them and warm their hands. Bedsteads, tables, chairs, 
and sofas are never used in the villages and very sel- 
dom in the cities ; but rich, beautiful rugs are thrown 

323 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

on the floor, and the people sit on them, folding their 
legs in tailor fashion, and lean against heavy bolsters 
lined against the walls. In the homes of the wealthy 
mattresses, which are kept in alcoves especially built 
for that purpose, are spread on the floor for the in- 
mates and guests to sleep on ; but the poor and the la- 
boring classes have no such luxuries, and are com- 
pelled to sleep on their straw mats, with their coats 
spread over them or under them, and with anything 
for a pillow which comes to hand. Jacob found a 
comfortable stone. The coat, fashioned like an army 
officer's cloak, is very heavy, and is worn in summer 
to keep off the heat and in winter to shield from the 
cold, while it becomes a mat or a bed which even a 
paralytic could take up and then walk; and as a rug 
it is ever in evidence, while thrown under the feet of 
honored visitors it serves to show the highest esteem 
and to give a royal welcome. At the door of one of 
these humble huts in a village we saw a woman with 
her baby in her arms. It was wrapped in swaddling 
clothes, just as was Jesus when he was laid in the 
manger. When a child is born, it is immediately 
plunged into a bath of salt brine ; and after being well 
massaged, it is powdered with very fine salt and 
wrapped in swaddling bands. Every time the child 
is washed and its clothing changed the body is pow- 
dered with fine salt. This is kept up until the child is 
weaned. Salt is the chief ingredient in the medicines 
of the country. It is said to eradicate even the tenden- 
cies to disease. 

The home is the man's castle ; for so long as he is 
in his own home, no one can arrest him and no power 

323 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

can bring him out. If a man were to force himself 
into a home where there were women, or were he to 
be caught there, he would be killed, and the man who 
did the killing would not be liable to the law. In the 
cities men are not allowed where women happen to be ; 
and should a man come upon women who by some 
chance did not have the veil over their faces and 
looked at them, he would be liable to an assault by any 
man present. Of course the Christian and Jewish 
women may be seen at any time. In the villages the 
women do not wear veils, as they must labor outdoors ; 
and a stranger may address them, inquiring for di- 
rection to some place or even asking for a drink of 
water, but he cannot tarry for a conversation. In the 
times of Jesus there was evidently a law forbidding 
men to converse with strange women, and he bade 
the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well to call her hus- 
band. The women and girls do not eat with the men 
and boys of the family ; but after these lords have eaten, 
what is left is removed to the women's apartments, and 
there these subdued souls satisfy their hunger, A 
woman is not amenable to religious or civil courts ; 
and should she steal or commit murder, she is pun- 
ished as a young child who knew no better. The 
woman holds a very humble place in all Oriental coun- 
tries. The reader will pardon this digression. 

We had a good road from Cana to Tiberias over a 
level plateau. We crossed the Crusaders' battlefield, 
where the Christians were defeated by the Moslem gen- 
eral, Saladin, in 1187. Here we saw some fine herds 
of sheep and goats. The shepherd led his flock. Every 
sheep or goat in his herd has a name and knows its 

324 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

name ; and when the shepherd calls its name, it comes. 
There was not a day that I spent in Palestine that I 
did not hear the shepherd's call and see his sheep obey 
his call. We passed near the mountain from the side of 
which Jesus is reputed to have delivered the Sermon 
on the Mount: For nearly an hour before we reached 
Tiberias we had a full view of the Sea of Galilee and 
its surrounding hills. We descended an abrupt hill 
to the town of Tiberias, and were soon comfortably 
quartered in a German hotel. The Germans are the 
hotel keepers throughout Palestine, and can always be 
relied on to give comfortable entertainment. But Ger- 
man colonies are being planted in many parts of the 
Holy Land, and rival in size and influence the Russian 
colonies. The people from these two European coun- 
tries are beginning to make new conditions in this an- 
cient land, and the civilized world may well rejoice at 
the growth of this influence. 

Tiberias surprised me by being dirtier and filthier 
than any place that I had seen. The population of 
5,000 is twoi-thirds Jewish of the Russian and Polish 
variety. There is nothing there for them to do, which 
is not displeasing to them, as they are very glad to 
depend entirely upon the Israelite Alliance of Europe. 
However, they are as orthodox as they are filthy and 
lazy, and have reputations as students of the Talmud. 
It was here that the Hebrew Bible, now universally 
accepted, was written. The Jerusalem Talmud came 
into existence here, and the Mishna was here first 
published. Here St. Jerome studied the Hebrew lan- 
guage. While it is noted for the Hebrew scholars 
that have lived here and is now one of the four holy 

325 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

cities of the Jewish faith (Jerusalem, Hebron, and 
Safed being the other three), yet Tiberias at the time 
of our Lord was considered unclean for a Jew. Herod 
Antipas, the murderer of John the Baptist, built the 
city. The hill was crowned with a picturesque castle; 
the slopes were covered with temples, palaces, and 
other public buildings ; the streets were wide and well- 
paved; and high walls three miles in length inclosed 
the city. But a burial place was disturbed in laying 
the foundations, and that made the place unclean for 
the Jews. There is no record that Jesus ever visited 
the town, although it was not more than six miles 
from Capernaum, and the fact that it was Jewishly 
unclean may account for his not visiting the place. 
The population then was made up largely of adven- 
turers, beggars, and any foreigners whom Herod could 
induce to come. It was a Grseco-Romish city, with 
its race course, amphitheater, and such un- Jewish in- 
stitutions. The glory of the Herodian city named for 
his emperor has departed, and now its chief fame is 
that the king of fleas lives here. Throughout Syria 
Tiberias is notorious for these friendly pests. 

We had for our dinner that day some very fine fish 
which had that morning been caught in the Sea of 
Galilee. This famous body of water is still noted for 
its fish of many varieties which live here in great 
quantities, although they are taken in large numbers 
to satisfy the demands of the people who live on or 
near the shores. How beautiful is this little lake about 
which the Great Teacher lived so much of his three 
great years ! It is thirteen miles long, and its greatest 
width is six miles, while its greatest depth is 137 to 

326 " 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

157 feet, according to the season, the depth varying 
with the rains. Its surface is 680 feet below the level 
of the Mediterranean. The water has a light blue 
color. Its taste is not disagreeable. The natives drink 
the water. The surrounding hills are of moderate 
height, and the scenery, enlivened by a few villages, 
is quite pleasing. In the spring the banks form a 
veritable paradise, as the low soil is very fertile. In 
summer the heat is intense, and the vegetation is sub- 
tropical; and just after the first rains fever is quite 
prevalent. A sail on the waters of this quiet lake was 
a thing greatly to be desired ; and in the afternoon, with 
four good boatmen and a satisfactory English-speak- 
ing guide, I set sail for Tell Hum, the probable site of 
ancient Capernaum, which was about seven miles away. 
The lake was quiet for two miles while we were be- 
hind the overhanging hills above Tiberias; but when 
we passed Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, 
and the mountains gave way to the Plain of Gen- 
nesaret, the strong winds from the west swooped down 
upon us and our boat dipped water. The boatmen 
lowered the sails somewhat, the ballast of heavy stones 
was moved to the west side of the boat, and the six 
of us sat on that same edge. Still the boat skirted 
the water, which occasionally poured in, and which a 
boatman busily bailed out. I understood perfectly the 
record in the Gospels of that storm which made the 
disciples afraid, and which the Master rebuked into 
peace. When we came to Tell Hum we were unable 
to land, as there was danger of being dashed against 
the black basaltic stones; but we found a harbor a 
little to the west. With the guide I went to Tell Hum, 

327 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

which may mark the place of Capernaum or that of 
Chorazin. The geographers and archaeologists have 
not been able to agree on the sites about the Sea of 
Galilee, but there is strong argument in favor of Tell 
Hum being Capernaum; and the German Franciscan 
monk who is conducting the excavations there felt very 
confident that the splendid ruins which he was bringing 
to light were none other than those of the old syna- 
gogue in which Jesus preached in the city of Caper- 
naum. The ruins are interesting, and show that once 
they were parts of an elegant building which was con- 
structed of white stone which did not come from that 
section, as there the stone is all black volcanic basalt. 
The Franciscans have it in mind to reconstruct on this 
ancient foundation a building on the plan of the origi- 
nal. Two miles east is the mouth of the Jordan; and 
a short distance up the river is the site of Bethsaida 
Julias, where the 5,000 were miraculously fed. Some 
authorities put Capernaum near the mouth of the 
Jordan, where there was once a quay and a busy town. 
Two miles west of Tell Hum is the site of an ancient 
town, where there are some quaint old water mills, and 
this the guide pointed out as Bethsaida. I went ashore 
and started up the hill to some rocks in an open field, 
from which I hoped to get a fine view of the lake and 
the various points of interest. The guide cautioned 
me about going into that "desert," as there were dan- 
gerous scorpions, snakes, and insects. A "desert" in 
that country means a piece of land that is not culti- 
vated, that has been deserted. While definite locali- 
ties could not be pointed out, yet here before me and 
within a distance of a few miles were the scenes of the 

328 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

greatest life that the world has ever known or will 
ever know. The country on this north and northwest 
shore of the lake gradually rises and forms the most 
beautiful location imaginable for the numerous towns 
and villages which were here at the time of Jesus. A 
mile northwest of Bethsaida the mountains rise to a 
considerable height; and just behind them is the 
Jewish holy city of Safed, with a population of 30,- 
000. The Jews regard Safed as holy because they 
believe that from here the Messiah is to come. The 
Sea of Galilee is girdled by an almost continuous belt 
of ruins, which shows that in the time of our Lord the 
whole coast was practically covered with city walls, 
houses, synagogues, wharves, and factories. The great 
road from Damascus to the southwest came along the 
north and northwest shore and passed on just west of 
the mountains above Magdala, out by the Mount of 
Beatitudes, where the great Sermon was preached, and 
then on near Mount Tabor to the southern country. 
The Mount of Beatitudes was near the great highway, 
as were Magdala and the cities in which Jesus spoke 
to the multitudes. As we sailed in the shadows of 
the evening to Tiberias we had a fine view of the 
country east of the lake, of the land of the Gergasenes, 
of the place where the swine into which the cast-out 
demons went were driven, and of the reputed sites of 
the ancient Gamala and Hippas. The next day we 
sailed to the southern end of the lake to the railroad 
station to take the train to Damascus. It was then 
that we saw the wild country of the Gadarenes. It is 
unsafe to-day to go into the country on the east shore 
of this peaceful lake, as the Bedouins are robbers and 

829 



ETCHINGS OF THE EASt 

have no respect of persons. While the twenty-four 
hours gave us full opportunity to see what there is to 
be seen about the Sea of Galilee, yet they passed all 
too quickly for one who wanted to dwell in quiet 
meditation amid these suggestive and stimulating 
scenes. 

330 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Damascus, Baalbek, Beirut, Alexandria. 

WHEN one, leaving the Sea of Galilee, turns his 
face toward the east and begins a journey into 
the land beyond the Jordan, he turns his back upon the 
real Holy Land and enters a country without that 
sacredness which attaches to those places that are 
associated with the life of our Lord and the labors of 
the men who made Israel. The Palestine that we 
love lies west of the Jordan, although Moab, Jabesh- 
gilead, and Damascus have a prominent place in the 
history of the chosen people. The whole of Palestine 
has an area of only ii,ooo square miles, and its popu- 
lation would be doubled if the Jews of New York 
City would some bright day all go to the land of their 
fathers. But they are not going, and neither are the 
thrifty Jews from any land. Of the 700,000 people 
in Palestine, about 90,000 are Jews, 550,000 are Mo- 
hammedans, and 60,000 are Christians. The Chris- 
tians are mostly Greeks and Latins, although there are 
Armenians, Maronites, and some other small sects and 
a few Protestants. From the standpoint of race the 
population of Syria, which is about three million, con- 
sists of Syrians, Arabs, Turks, Jews, and Franks. 
There are not many Franks. The Syrians are the 
descendants of those who spoke Aramaic at the time 
of Christ, with the exception of the Jews. They are 
the real native people of the country. Many of them 

331 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

have remained faithful to the Christian faith, while 
others have embraced Mohammedanism, The Arabs, 
v^hether settled or nomadic Bedouins, come from the 
desert country and are follov^rers of Mohammed. The 
Turks are not numerous, and are said to be inferior 
intellectually to the Arabs ; but they compose the large 
part of the governing class. As officials they are, vi^ith- 
out doubt, very corrupt; and the publican of the days 
of our Lord was no more harsh than his successor 
of this day. They have a system of government very 
similar to that in China and other Oriental countries, 
and the "squeeze" is always to be expected. A German 
who built a hotel in Tiberias said that he had to pay 
six hundred francs (one hundred and twenty dollars) 
backsheesh to the officials for permission to continue 
his work from time to time. The money of the coun- 
try was hard to understand; but French money was 
acceptable in most places, and I avoided the Turkish 
coins. The language of the country is Arabic, but 
many of the people speak French. I did not at any 
time enjoy coming in touch with the people. 

The journey from the Sea of Galilee to Damascus, 
thence to Baalbek and on to Beirut, was made by rail. 
We boarded the train at Semak, at the southern end of 
the lake, a few hundred yards from the mouth of the 
Jordan, at 9 130 in the morning, and arrived in Damas- 
cus at five o'clock that afternoon, making a distance 
of one hundred and fifty-five miles. This was by our 
time. They reckon differently. This railroad, which 
connects Haifa and Damascus, is two hundred and 
eight miles long. It runs from Haifa southeast through 
the valley at the foot of Mount Carmel, into the Plain 

332 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

of Esdraelon, along the valley at the foot of the moun- 
tain on which Jezreel is situated, north of the Moun- 
tain of Gilboa, and on to the river Jordan, where it 
turns north and runs along by the river and crosses it 
at the Sea of Galilee, where it turns east and passes up 
the rocky gorge of the river Yarmuk into the moun- 
tains of the wild country east of the Jordan. The 
rugged scenery could hardly be excelled. We passed 
within a short distance of the ancient Gadara, which is 
near the famous hot springs of that name. After two 
hours' travel, we came up on the great plateau of the 
Hauran, the famous wheat country of Syria. That 
whole section is very beautiful and looks like a great 
prairie as compared with the most of Palestine. This 
soil here is very fertile and produces splendid crops 
with small cultivation. The black basalt stones indicate 
the volcanic disturbances which once shook the land. 
The people are almost entirely Mohammedans. The 
Bedouins may be seen in many sections. These are the 
direct descendants of the half-savage nomads who have 
inhabited Arabia from time immemorial, and who for 
the most part are of pure Arab blood. Their dwellings 
are the portable tents made of black goat's hair, which 
are impervious to rain, and which they move to suit 
their convenience or cleanliness or to meet the needs 
for pastures for their immense herds of sheep, goats, 
and camels. They live largely on bread and milk and 
occupy themselves very much with war with other 
tribes over pastures and wells. They have little or no 
religion, although they know more of Mohammedanism 
than anything else. They give the settled peasantry 
much trouble which the government tries to keep down,^ 

333 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

but the tardiness of the officials usually results in the 
peasantry paying the sheiks of the Bedouins blackmail 
to escape further disturbance. The entire Bedouin 
population numbers 40,000 to 50,000 souls. 

Damascus is the oldest city in the world and the lar- 
gest in Syria, with its population from 200,000 to 250,- 
000. More than three-fourths of the people are Mos- 
lems, while there are only 8,000 Jews and 750 Protes- 
tants ; and the rest are mostly Greeks, either orthodox 
or united. The city is 2,266 feet above the sea, and is 
surrounded by mountains on three sides. The beauti- 
ful Abana River (now called Barada) supplies the 
water from the mountains that makes the famous gar- 
dens surrounding this ancient but now modern-appear- 
ing Oriental city. The streets and the bazaars would 
have great attraction for one who had not visited Cairo 
and the cities of India and China. The bargaining that 
is necessary for a foreigner to make a small purchase 
at a reasonable price is too great to make shopping 
very entertaining. The Westerner's average ignorance 
of what Oriental goods are really worth makes him an 
easy prey for these sharp traders. The Syrian with his 
red fez and his flowing robe or European suit, the wom- 
en with their covered faces and garments of solid col- 
ors, did not furnish the attraction to one who had vis- 
ited other Moslem countries that they have for those 
fresh from European or American civilization. Damas- 
cus had its greatest interest in its great street called 
"Straight," in the chapel belonging to the Latins that 
covers the site of Ananias's house, the leper hospital 
that is built on the ground where Naaman had his 
house, or th^ city wall where Paul was let down 

334 



E T C H I N G S OF THE EAST 

through a window in the basket. And these places I 
visited. I went into the great mosque, saw the tomb 
of Saladin, strolled through the suburb of Meidan, 
watched the coppersmiths at their work, and from the 
minaret of the mosque secured a fine view of the city. 
The Damascans are very proud of their city. It is now 
connected by a railroad with Mecca, by another with 
Haifa, and by a third with Beirut, At no distant day 
Damascus, the metropolis of Syria, will be situated on 
a great trunk line connecting India and Persia with 
Constantinople ; while a short line built from Jerusalem 
by Nablus and Jenin to some point in the Esdraelon 
near Jezreel will give Damascus direct connection with 
Jerusalem and Joppa and thereby bring it within twen- 
ty-four to thirty-six hours' travel of Egypt. No man 
can prophesy what a decade will bring forth in these 
Oriental countries that are awaking from their long 
Rip-Van-Winkle slumber and are asking themselves 
why they cannot become an active factor in this day's 
civilization. The marvelous development of a nation- 
al spirit among all the peoples of the East is the won- 
der of these opening years of the twentieth century. 
The Young Turks have made their demands, and they 
are winning with their plans ; and the Young Persians, 
the Yo-ung Chinese, the Young Indians, and the Young 
Egyptians have been charged with the same spirit, and 
the day of new events and new conditions is beginning 
to dawn. Damascus has been touched by the spirit of 
the times, and her institutions, industries, mode of life, 
and plans for future development are becoming con- 
formed to the life that has come to them from Europe 
and America. 

335 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

The railroad from Damascus to Beirut runs up the 
beautiful valley of the Barada, climbing a steep incline 
and meeting the fascinating stream as it pours its sil- 
very waters over the numerous falls and rocky shal- 
lows. The gardens were rich in their beauty. Mount 
Hermon, rising in two peaks to about 9,050 feet and 
perpetually snow-capped, was in full view for several 
miles. We had it before us that entire afternoon while 
we were crossing the plateau of Hauran. It is a ma- 
jestic mountain, and can be seen from many parts of 
Palestine. Crops are raised on its sides as high as 
5,000 feet; and the forests, in which there are foxes, 
wolves, and other wild beasts, extend even nearer the 
summit. After two hours we came to the junction 
where the railroad leads to the north to Baalbek and 
on to Aleppo. Not to have visited Baalbek would 
have been a great mistake, for the ruins of that place 
cannot be surpassed in interest, beauty, and sublimity 
by anything to be found in Egypt, Greece, or any other 
nation of the world. Baalbek means ''the seat of 
Baal," and so the wonderful ruins of the magnificent 
temples likely have something to do with the worship 
of Baal. Legendary history claims that Cain was the 
founder of the city, and that he built the first fortifica- 
tions here after he slew his brother Abel. Another 
claim is that Nimrod, the great hunter, was one of the 
early settlers of the place. A still more interesting tra- 
dition is that here the people who would build a tower 
to heaven had their scriptural Babel. Abraham, patri- 
archs, prophets, judges, and kings have their names 
connected with the place. As it was halfway between 
Tyre and Palmyra, it unquestionably held a prominent 

336 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

location and was a famous city in the ancient times. 
The Phoenicians and Canaanites were worshipers of 
Baal, the solar deity, and to them is credited the erec- 
tion of the splendid structures of Baalbek, whose ruins 
are now marvelous in the eyes of all visitors. How the 
walls were built and how the great temples were 
brought to their completion, the best archaeologists and 
engineers have not been able to say. Is it any wonder 
that engineers are puzzled when in the outside wall are 
stones, laid so closely that a needle cannot be inserted, 
which are 64 feet^ 6^ feet 8 inches, and 63 feet in length 
and thirteen feet in the other two dimensions? Each 
measures more than 12,000 cubic feet and weighs more 
than 1,000 tons. Stones measuring 30 and 35 feet in 
length and 12 to 13 feet square are common, while 
those 20, 22, and 24 feet by 13 feet are almost the rule. 
How were these immense blocks taken from the quar- 
ry and lifted to their places in the walls? Did the an- 
cients make an incline of earth and roll these stones to 
the places and then adjust them? Marvelous is the 
work, however it may have been done. The quarries 
from which the stones were taken are not more than a 
mile from the town; and they show that they were 
worked for other buildings than the temples, and per- 
haps from them stones were sent to Palmyra and Da- 
mascus. At the quarry is a stone 70 feet by 15 feet by 
14 feet which is estimated to weigh 1,500 tons, and 
which was evidently too large to be moved. 

The two temples, the Great Temple and the Temple 
of Bacchus, which stand upon the massive substruc- 
tions, were erected in the second century of the Chris- 
tian era under the reign of Antonius Pius, They are 
22 337 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

wonderful structures, and are gigantic examples of 
ancient architecture. Massive columns with Corinthian 
capitals, rich alcoves adorned by the most delicately 
carved fretwork, magnificent friezes and pleasing cor- 
nices, great walls and extensive ornamentations all 
make a show of superb architecture such as one sees 
nowhere else except in the ruins at Luxor and Thebes 
and on the Acropolis of Athens. The Temple of Bac- 
chus is said to be one of the best preserved and most 
beautiful antique buildings in Syria. While it is not so 
massive as the Great Temple, yet in ornamentation, 
great columns, and stately corridors it is unsurpassed. 
The ravages of the Turkish soldiers and the Arabs, 
who have been allowed a free hand for centuries in 
their work of destruction, and the great earthquake 
which fractured the ponderous columns and walls in 
1759, have brought the magnificent work of the ancient 
architects to greater ruin than would have come in the 
natural wear of the centuries. But Baalbek has an 
interest in its ancient pile which few places of this 
world can rival. 

When I went to the railway station to take the train 
for Beirut, I found that the Governor General of the 
province, who has his capital in Damascus, had been in 
the city, and that his car would be attached to my train. 
He came to the station before his car was ready, as it 
was to be connected with the train that came down 
from Aleppo. He was not different in appearance from 
what one would expect in a Turkish official. He was 
a man of medium size, with dark hair and beard, with 
the features of one of forty-five to fifty, and with an 
expression of a serious, capable official. When he 

338 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

passed, his subjects did not remove their red fezzes 
(they never raise them for anything at any place — at 
the table, in the drawing-room, in the presence of ladies 
or potentates) ; but they bowed very low with the full 
swing of the arm, which is extended with the palm of 
the hand upward. The salutation in the swing and 
sweep of the entire body is indeed quite impressive, and 
is more pleasing than the stiff bow which i-s the custom 
in polite circles of Europe and some Asiatic countries. 
The Governor had a large retinue of attendants in uni- 
forms and adorned with glistening swords. The only 
high official in the world who is willing to be a civilian 
and dress as such and have no military accompaniment 
is the American. In speaking of salutations, I am 
minded to say that salutations in Palestine are very 
tedious and cannot be quickly performed. The greet- 
ings are hearty and are continued. Each person usually 
kisses his hand as he brings it back from the swing. 
The parties often embrace. "Peace be with you" is 
repeated a number of times. Jesus said to his disciples 
when he sent them : "Salute no man by the way." They 
would not have gone far if they had met many people 
and saluted each one according to the Oriental custom. 
The journey from Baalbek to Beirut required about 
six hours. As Baalbek is about 3,900 feet above the 
Mediterranean and Beirut is on the shore, the train, 
after crossing the Lebanon Mountains, had to make a 
considerable descent. The mountains still held snow 
in their ravines, the gulches were sublime in their rug- 
gedness, and the fields that filled the narrow valleys 
were beautiful in their products. The rapidity of the 
descent at times gave one an inclination to nervous- 

339 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ness ; but the narrow plain was reached, and soon we 
were in Beirut, a city of 120,000 people, the northern 
port of Syria, and the chief commercial place of the 
country. It is beautifully situated on St. George's Bay, 
has a mild climate because of its sea breeze, and is sur- 
rounded by luxuriant gardens. Here the Moslems 
number only 36,000, and so the Christian element pre- 
dominates. There are 2,100 Protestants here; but the 
Orthodox Greeks will reach 45,000 and the Maronites 
28,000. Over one thousand steamers enter the harbor 
annually, while the sailing vessels will number 2,500. 
The city has more interest to me because of the Syrian 
Protestant College, which is located here, than for any 
"other reason. I counted it a high privilege to meet not 
only the President, Dr. Howard S. Bliss, but his hon- 
ored father, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Bliss^ who is really the 
founder of the institution. Though he has passed his 
fourscore years, yet he has lost no interest in this great 
institution. The school has more than 800 pupils and a 
faculty of seventy-five members. The medical school 
does first-class work, and its clinics in the hospital 
would do credit to the medical schools of America. In 
the student body may be found 100 Egyptians, 100 
Greeks, seventy Armenians, and the rest are Syrians. 
In religion 300 of the students are Orthodox Greeks, 
100 are Mohammedans, 100 Roman Catholics, and 150 
are Protestants. The converts to Protestantism are 
never made from the Moslems, but usually from the 
Orthodox Greeks. No institution in the East is doing 
more for the country in which it is located than the 
Syrian Protestant College is doing for the Syrians. It 
is sending out physicians and teachers that will bring 

340 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

in a new era in their country. One evening I attended 
a presentation of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" on 
the campus by the students of the college, and was de- 
lighted with the performance. Their pronunciation of 
the English language and their interpretation of the 
great dramatist were admirable. The mission work in 
Beirut and Northern Syria is done largely by the 
Presbyterian and the United Presbyterian Churches. 
While the results have not been large, yet the mission- 
aries feel encouraged and are hopeful of greater things. 
But the time of my departure from Syria was at hand ; 
and after two nights and a day in Beirut I left for 
Alexandria, taking a steamer that would touch at Haifa, 
Joppa, and Port Said. It was not clean nor comforta- 
ble, but it was going in the right direction. In the aft- 
ernoon we passed Tyre, and an hour before sunset we 
came to anchor at Haifa, at the foot of Mount Carmel. 
The next morning we awoke to find ourselves at Joppa, 
where we spent the day, and where the traveling com- 
panion of the world journey, coming down from Jeru- 
salem, met me. The next morning we were in Port 
Said, where we spent some six hours ; and in the aft- 
ernoon we set sail for Alexandria, where we landed 
safely the next morning at eight o'clock and spent 
the day. 

Alexandria, once famous for its schools of philoso- 
phy and theology, is now known as the great commer- 
cial metropolis of the kingdom of the Khedive. Could 
Alexander the Great look upon this splendid city, which 
boasts of him as its founder, he would be surprised to 
find that practically nothing that he designed for his 
magnificent capital is now in existence. Neither Mace- 

341 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

donia nor Greece could lay claims to what one may at 
this day see in Alexandria; for great merchants have 
taken the places of great scholars, magnificent business 
houses have supplanted costly libraries, and modern 
commercialism has hushed the voice of world-renowned 
scholarship. But Alexandria, with its 400,000 inhab- 
itants, is a great city according to present-day stand- 
ards. It has many fine broad, well-paved streets, and 
its buildings will compare favorably with those of most 
European cities. Into its splendid harbor enter great 
ships with their cargo from the ports of the world, and 
out of it go the vast rich exports of Egypt. While this 
Egyptian metropolis is a modern city, it yet lays claim 
to some ancient ruins, Pompey's Pillar, a large round 
monolith of red granite nearly one hundred feet high, 
still stands on a commanding site. Recent excavations 
have revealed ruins of a great temple and some superb 
statues of Egyptian rulers and sacred animals. Cleo- 
patra kept her magnificent Needles here, but the gen- 
erosity of the old Mehemet made New York's Central 
Park and the banks of the Thames the present resting 
places of these famous obelisks. The faithful Copts can 
show the traveler what they claim was the resting place 
of St. Mark's bones for eight hundred years and point 
out some locality in which Athanasius, the defender of 
the faith, lived, or where Apollos, Paul's eloquent con- 
temporary, was born ; but they have no credible infor- 
mation. The ancient remains of Alexandria are too 
meager to excite much interest, and so the tourist must 
satisfy himself with what he sees of the modern city 
and the present-day people. 

The interest and delight with which one visits the 
342 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

ruins and remains of ancient Egypt are intense. The 
dead and mummied Egyptian gives pleasure and in- 
struction, but his live and present-day descendant whom 
we met combines in a most irritating manner the ma- 
jority of the faults of his Oriental ancestors and his 
Occidental associates. The wealthy tramps of Euro- 
pean and American society who spend their winters in 
Cairo and other parts of Egypt have spoiled by their 
large fees the serving public in the most interesting 
places in the land of the Nile. Egypt is the most ex- 
pensive country which tourists now visit ; and the serv- 
ice which the swarthy- faced, long-robed, red-fezzed na- 
tives render is as limited as they can make it. But 
where is there an Oriental that a traveler can trust? 
Honesty and truthfulness are not constant in the moral 
code of the East. Bargaining and the multiplying of 
words are common everywhere in the Orient, and a 
bargain holds nowhere (except in China, where the 
"face" is involved) if the Oriental by disregarding it 
finds a way to make capital. The recital of the expe- 
riences of those who were caught for a fee of twenty 
francs when three had been agreed upon to deliver the 
party from the steamer to the wharf made me cautious 
in transshipping in Alexandria. The boatman agreed 
to deliver us and our baggage upon our outgoing 
steamer for a certain sum. When, in declaring that a 
competitor who had asked five times that amount had 
no license, he produced his own license, I took it and 
placed it in my pocket, telling him that I would return 
it when the contract was fulfilled. We had no trouble, 
as the return of the license was an essential matter to 
him. It is by no means unusual for a boatman to hold 

343 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

his passengers upon the rocking surf until his demands, 
however exorbitant, are met in cash. However, in 
some American and European cities we not infrequent- 
ly find such highwaymen on our carriages. In every 
country but our own the city authorities universally 
establish a tariff for carriages; and the customers can 
demand this schedule before entering a carriage or on 
leaving it, and pay the driver according to the legal 
rate. Without a legal tariff the use of carriages in the 
Orient would be impossible, as the bargaining neces- 
sary tO' secure one would consume too much time, and 
the demands on leaving it would necessitate the inter- 
position of the police. Even as it is, frequently tour- 
ists are forced by illegal charges of the carriage driv- 
ers to seek the protection of the police, and especially 
is this true in Cairo. But such treatment may usually 
be expected in those countries where the rich and the 
pretentious have congregated for their pleasures, as 
their reckless expenditures have brought the natives to 
look for large fees from visitors. 

When the fine German steamer lifted anchor at noon 
on that June day and took its course to the northwest 
across the Mediterranean Sea for Italy, we breathed a 
sigh of relief, for the burden of the Orient was left 
behind. Whether in the far East or the near East, no 
man can travel in the Orient without a depression of 
spirit and the continual sense of a human burden upon 
the heart and mind. Between Europe and America 
there is a great sea in a sense other than that of water, 
but between them and the rest of the world there is 
a great gulf. Steam, electricity, and a common intelli- 
gence may abolish the sea, but the gulf is fixed by crea- 

344 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

tion ; and though it may be bridged, it can never be re- 
moved. "As far as the East is from the West" is a 
distance unmeasurable if these terms designate the peo- 
ples who are native to these realms. Kipling, after a 
long residence in the Eastern lands, wrote : 

O, the East is East, and the West is West, 

And never the twain shall meet, 
Till earth and sky stand presently 

Before God's great judgment seat. 

The Asiatic is the product of his own countless cen- 
turies, and into the fabric of his nature have been 
woven tissues which are unknown and unknowable to 
the European or his American descendant. The very- 
constitution of his mind is so different from that of his 
European brother that even the exchange of their dis- 
tinctive ideas is hindered by the lack of a common me- 
dium. The European often pities him in his lot and 
marvels that he is not concerned about changing his 
conditions. But the truth is, his conditions were not 
imposed upon him, but rather they issued from him, 
and in them he lives and moves and has his being. As 
yet the West has been unable to make him see any bet- 
ter way, and he marvels that any Western people would 
essay to be his teacher. The Westerner has too often 
ignored the content of the consciousness of the Orien- 
tal, and as a result his labor at a transformation in his 
brother has failed. Kipling said also : 

But there is neither East nor West, 

Nor border, nor breed, nor birth, 
When two strong men stand face to face. 

Though they come from the end of the earth. 
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ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

When the strong man of the West recognizes the 
strong man of the East and each concedes to each the 
rights and worth which he represents, then the possi- 
bihty of intercommunication will be more certain and 
the two hemispheres may be united. 

The four days necessary to bring us from Alexandria 
to Naples soon passed pleasantly away, for we had a 
quiet sea and a very agreeable company. True, we had 
some princes and princesses of the Egyptian realm, but 
their royal conceit relieved us of their presence. A sheik 
from the land of Goshen, who had conceived the idea 
of distributing some of his ready coin in London and 
Paris while he paraded his pretentious importance, was 
much in evidence and gave a splendid exhibition of 
the Egyptian Arab at his self-conscious best. In the 
night of the third day we passed through the Straits of 
Messina, between Italy and Sicily, and early in the next 
morning we steamed by the volcanic island of Strom- 
boli. Just as we rose from lunch on the last day we 
passed the island of Capri and entered the Bay of Na- 
ples, correctly styled the most beautiful bay in the 
world. On our right lay Sorrento and Castellamare 
and their charming surroundings ; while in front of us, 
behind the city, stood out against the deep blue sky the 
solemn gray peak of Mount Vesuvius, at whose feet 
crouched its victims of Pompeii and Herculaneum. On 
the left Ischia and her small sister islands stand in a 
line like maids in waiting. "What is so rare as a day 
in June ?" What would the poet have written had that 
day afforded a slow sail into the beautiful, beautiful 
Bay of Naples when the sun was in his glory, the sky 
in its own Italian blue, and the hills and the valleys, the 

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ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

orchards and the gardens were riotous in their wealth 
of fruit and flower ? We were in a strait betwixt two : 
whether to abide upon the ship in a harbor so gorgeous 
in its setting or to go out into the city that offered a 
home feehng even in its strangeness to those who had 
wandered in lands so distant from their own in thought 
and life. The luxury of landing at such a time was 
eagerly seized at the first lowering of the gang plank, 
and in a trice we were driving away to our hotel. Aft- 
er several months spent among the kimono-dressed 
Japanese, the gayly gowned Chinese, the sky-clad Ma- 
lays, Burmese, and Hindus, and the long-robed Eg3^p- 
tian and Syrian, we were in good condition of mind 
to appreciate real clothes, fashioned after our own. The 
Asiatic occasionally endeavors to show his sympathy 
for We-stern civilization by donning the apparel of the 
European or American, but somehow when he endeav- 
ors thus to exhibit his regard for Western ways his 
dress is out of keeping with his life and thought. In 
Japan among those in full native or foreign garb we 
saw men who had discarded the native kimono for a 
knit suit, white hose, low shoes, and an overcoat. It 
wa'S not unusual to see persons wearing a mixed suit 
of Japanese and foreign clothes. Mixing the Oriental 
and the Western is a habit in that land. In China there 
is little mixing of clothes, as the native garb does not 
admit of such procedure. In fact, foreign dress does 
not appeal very strongly to a Chinaman. In India the 
mixture was very common, and one often saw men clad 
in their tunic, which left their limbs for the most part 
bare, with a neat sack coat worn over the tunic, low 
russet shoes or patent leather "pumps" on the feet, and 

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ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

the head uncovered. Nakedness and clothes were 
rather informally distributed over the bodies of these 
sons and daughters of the tropics. To be ushered from 
such a motley throng into a land of full suits, elegant 
footwear, and becoming headgear was indeed an ex- 
perience which excited rare pleasure. Again and again 
we were compelled to exclaim : "What handsome men 
and beautiful women this Italian metropolis can pro- 
duce !" One member of the party had never seen any 
Italians except the immigrants in America, and was not 
prepared to find in Naples auburn-haired blondes as 
well as brown-eyed brunettes. Soft, clear complexions, 
noble physiques, and queenly forms were not expected 
in this city of Southern Italy. But the consciousness 
that we had really passed from the East to the West 
in crossing the Middle Sea between Alexandria and 
Naples was the most distinctive and highly prized gain 
in coming into the fair city which was once the gay 
capital of the stout little kingdom of Naples. 

Here I take my farewell of my readers. The jour- 
ney through the Orient was exceedingly interesting and 
highly profitable. Many of the experiences were se- 
vere, and no one could wish for a repetition of them. 
For instance, travel through India in April is hazard- 
ous; for the heat is intense, registering io8 to no de- 
grees Fahrenheit in the shade, and dealing death to an 
American in the sunshine unless the head is protected 
by a thick pith helmet. The water is never safe unless 
boiled by a trustworthy person. Stimulants are dan- 
gerous. Travel in India should be undertaken only 
in the four months beginning with November. Japan 
offers at all times unusual attractions for the traveler, 

348 



ETCHINGS OF THE EAST 

while China will interest any student of a great and 
stalwart people. Egypt furnishes the real antiquities 
for the sight-seer, but the land is full of pests like unto 
those that came as plagues in Pharaoh's time and oth- 
ers that possessed the land since that day. Palestine 
is indeed the Holy Land, and for a clergyman or a 
Bible student it offers unparalleled scenes and unsur- 
passed interest. Every minister who can visit this land 
of our Lord should by all means make the trip. A 
journey among the Orientals, even if hurriedly made, 
will give one the pulse beat of the nations of the Far 
East just at this time when the national consciousness 
of every country is fast awaking, and this will be in- 
valuable in the study of the present movements of the 
Asiatic peoples. 

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